Perfidy
by SimOph52
Summary: Booth's dark past is turned upside-down.
1. May 11th, 2009: 7:58 am

_Perfidy: deliberate breach of faith or trust; faithlessness; treachery: perfidy that goes unpunished._

May 11th, 2009: 7:58 am: J. Edgar Hoover Building

As the elevator dinged on the fifth floor, the door opened to reveal Seeley Booth laughing with a few of the men in his division. Two by two they exited the elevator and made their way to their respective desks and offices. Booth moseyed behind the others, and made a quick stop in the break room for a cup of coffee.

As he reached for his mug out of the cabinet a fellow agent who was somewhat familiar to him stepped in, "Sir." He acknowledged Booth.

Booth nodded his head, "Good morning." He responded, filling his cup with the caffeinated beverage and taking a sip. He gagged as the liquid sloshed in his mouth and with a great effort, he swallowed, "You would think that someone who works in the FBI would know how to brew some coffee." He gasped.

The Agent laughed, "I just load it up with sugar and milk and it covers up the taste."

Booth nodded and did as the young Agent suggest, "Later." Booth said as he left the break room and walked down towards his office.

Charlie approached him as he neared his door, "Hey Booth."

"Good morning Charlie." Booth said happily, "What's going on?" he asked.

"I got those files that you asked for regarding murders closely resembling the state of your new victim at the site."

Booth nodded, taking a sip of his coffee and taking the files out of the Agent's hand, "So these all have the pastel stockings and the slice of soap in the victim's mouth?" he asked.

"There are varying similarities in all of these including the positioning of the body post mortum. The ones on the top are the closest matches and the files at the bottom have similarities, but aren't exactly a match. I figure that these could be when the murder might have been first starting…"

Booth nodded, "Figuring out how he liked it. This is excellent work Charlie, thanks." He said smiling at the Agent and turning into his office. He walked around his desk and tossed the stack of files he received to the side of his mail and put his coffee cup down next to the computer monitor.

In the center of his desk sat all of his mail and a brown box that was delivered by UPS. Booth looked at the box cautiously. It was his nature to be suspicious of boxes especially since the people who wanted him dead always had creative ways to try and blow him up.

He opened his center drawer and removed the letter opener from the tray and gently sliced through the brown tape on all sides. He then slowly opened the two flaps on either side, specifically looking for trip wires, a digital time read out or smells of explosive chemicals. Having found none of these, he continued to open the box. When the box was finally opened, Seeley Booth stared into it with a look of confusion and loss.

He slowly reached inside and touched the hard edges of the mold, the mere tactile experience flooding back memories of excruciating pain and weakness. He pulled the first cast out of the box and studied it. It had been a long time since he had needed these, but the first thing that struck him was the first thing that he had said when they were taken off.

_"We're going to keep you here for probably another three weeks or so Seeley. You're going to need time for physical therapy and then you will need to work on it at home once you are released." The doctor said._

_Booth nodded, "Thanks, doc. So, are you gonna cut them off already or am I going to have to do it myself?" he asked jokingly._

_The doctor laughed and gently patted his patient's leg, "Nah. I think I can handle it."_

_After about twenty minutes, the doctor put down the saw and looked up at Booth, "So, do you feel like a new man?" he asked._

_Booth sighed and wiggled his toes lightly, "I never want to see those things again." He said smiling. He dragged his feet up toward him and instantly began touching them, scratching them and massaging them, "I have had that itch for damn near a month now." He laughed._

_The doctor smiled, "Well I'm glad you finally got it." Booth smiled up at him and the doctor's face grew more serious, "Sergeant Booth. I have to tell you that despite the fact that everything has healed well, I'm not sure you'll be able to do all of the things that you were once able to."_

_Booth looked up at him, "What do you mean, I'll walk and all, right?" he asked._

_The doctor nodded, "Yes, of course you will, you're not paralyzed. But, you will experience pain; most likely quite often. Over time, it may get better, but it will always be there I'm afraid. You had extensive damage to the bones."_

_Booth shook his head and smiled, "I'll be fine, doc. Nothing can stop me."_

As Booth sifted through pieces of cast that once housed his broken feet he found a note on a small piece of white card taped to the bottom of the box. The note read:

**It didn't happen the way you think it did.**


	2. Monday 11th, 2009 10:06 am

Monday 11th, 2009; 10:06 am: The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab

Seeley Booth hurried in through the self automated doors of the Medico Legal lab with a large shoe box tucked under his arm. He stopped for a moment scanning the people standing on the platform and then continued on his path towards Doctor Temperance Brennan's office.

Upon entering her office uninvited, Brennan looked up at her partner and realized that something was definitely upsetting him. She stood as the glass door swung shut with a loud bang, "Booth!" she said surprised.

He tossed the box on her desk and began pacing, "Look inside." He said avoiding eye contact.

Brennan looked between the box and Booth before tentatively lifting the lid. She looked at the pieces of cast that were stuffed inside and back at her partner, "What is this?" she asked.

On the broken pieces of casting there were drawings and messages written of respect and hope of a speedy recovery, "There's a note." He said pointing at the box, only pausing for a moment from his pacing.

Brennan shifted a piece aside to recover the small white card, one traditionally sent with a bouquet of flowers on which was scrawled a brief and obtuse message, "I still don't understand, Booth." Brennan said quietly looking over the scraps.

She knew that the contents of the box were what was upsetting Booth but she didn't comprehend their significance to him. Booth approached her desk and despite her knowing that he would never hurt her, she took a step back. He reached for the box and held it to her face, "THIS… these pieces. I…" Booth paused and looked away from her. He half heartedly tossed the box back on her desk, "I think these… are the casts that were on my feet after…" he stopped himself from finishing the sentence.

Brennan's mouth dropped open slightly as she realized what he was referring to, then her gaze shifted to the small white card and understood why it had upset him so much, "Booth." She said, "What does this mean?" she asked.

Booth stopped pacing and ran both hands through his hair, "I don't know." He said; his agitation growing, "Tell me what to do, Bones. I don't… I don't know what I should do."

Brennan walked around her desk and took Booth by the shoulders and backed him up to her couch and sat him down. She then walked back to her desk and dug latex gloves out of her desk before picking up the box and walking halfway to the door. She stopped before she reached the threshold and turned to him, "You stay there and… just stay there." She said sternly.

Booth looked up at her and nodded, "I'm not going anywhere." He said firmly, his voice cracking slightly. She half smiled and walked out of the room.

Booth leaned back on the couch and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. It had been so long ago and even though he had a daily reminder of what had happened to him, he would rather pretend that it had never happened by making up excuses that the pain was attributed to ill-fitting shoes, a long day running around the amusement park after his son or even having his feet stepped on while dancing; but the truth of the matter, the thing that always lingered in the back of his mind was the malicious and inscrutable truth that he had been tortured.

This was something he never wanted to bring up again; to just ignore it and move on. Now, almost fifteen years after the event, someone was trying to dig it all up again. Booth knew what happened when he had been taken prisoner in the middle east and he knew exactly how it had happened and now, someone was trying to tell him that he was wrong. Why wait fifteen years to tell him? Why now? He was a relatively happy man now with a son to take care of, a good job that he enjoyed doing and he had finally gotten past the majority of things that he had done and that had been done to him while in the service and it was almost ironically fitting that someone would want to dig up his past now.

He heard footsteps coming into the room and looked up to find Brennan snapping off the latex gloves and tossing them into her trash can next to her desk. She rested her right hand on her hip and the other on the glass of her desk before turning her head slightly to look at him, "Cam trying to see if there is any DNA left on the casts to make sure that they were indeed yours, Hodgins has the card and the box and is running them for fingerprints and when Cam is done, she is sending the cast pieces so that she can reconstruct them to make sure that we have all of the pieces and see if there are any more messages on them that may not have been there when they were taken off." She said.

Booth stared at her for a moment, taking in the solemn look on her face and that dark circles under her eyes that had no doubt been present because she had stayed all night in her office again, "You don't have to do that, Bones." He said softly.

Brennan stiffened and her eyes widened as her arms fell to her side, "Yes, I do, Booth." She said, sounding offended. Booth attempted to withdraw the statement but wasn't given a chance, "This is something that is obviously upsetting you, Booth. I've never seen you like this." She said walking over to him. Her voice was getting louder and she was becoming more agitated, "You have helped me so many times in the past, with my family, with my personal life, with… saving my life every time some lunatic comes and kidnaps me. So let me return the damn favor, Booth." She yelled.

Booth looked at her for a moment and then a smile appeared on his face. Brennan's shoulder's relaxed and she herself started smiling too. Booth scooted himself over on the couch and hit the cushion next to him, silently asking her to sit. Brennan took a seat and leaned her head on the back of the couch as well, "So, what do you think this all means, Booth?" she asked quietly.

Booth shrugged, "I have no clue. I mean, I was present when my feet were broken. It's kind of something that you wouldn't forget, ya know?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "There must be some reason this person is trying to contact you though." She said.

"He didn't contact me, Bones." Booth said shaking his head, "He basically sent me the equivalent of a message bomb. Who knows if he really has anything to say? It might just be some sort of ruse to distract me from a case or someone trying to get revenge on me. There's no saying that he will contact me again."

Brennan sighed, "Well, If there really is something to this, if it isn't all of those scenarios that you just mentioned, then this person; this man has no other choice then to contact you again. The message that was left in the box was far too vague to understand and if it is some sort of ruse, then what he doesn't know is that you're a lot stronger than he thinks you are." She said.

Booth turned to look at her, "Thanks Bones."

Brennan smiled, "You don't need to thank me when I'm relaying a fact."

Booth smiled and then wiped his hand down his face, "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

Brennan sighed and looked him in the eyes, "We do what we have to Booth." She said, putting a comforting hand on his arm, "We work the case."

"Which one?" he asked.

"Well, as of right now we don't have any leads on your case, so we stick to the stocking man case until something else turns up."

Booth groaned, "I'm such an idiot." He said, leaning his head back on the couch.

Brennan quirked her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side, "What now?" she asked.

Booth looked over at her, "Charlie made up this whole packet of potentially related cases from other states from over the past ten years and I forgot it on my desk." He said.

"Of the stocking man?" she asked.

Booth nodded, "Yeah. I think that there are a few in that packet that are definite matches and a few that could be the same guy." He said, "Had I not forgotten them on my desk, then I would have been able to let you look over them." He said.

Brennan shrugged, "Have sweets look at them first." She suggested.

Booth smiled, "Good idea." He said, then patting his hand on her leg, "So what do we have on him anyways?"

"Sweets?" Brennan asked.

"No." Booth laughed, "The stocking man."

Brennan shrugged, "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked incredulously, "No minute trace of blood? No stray hair?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "No. Angela is working on some things right now that will lead us to an approximate height and build for reference, but as of right now all we know is the cause of death; which in itself is, quite strange as it is."

Booth sighed, "Great." He said, shaking his head. He sighed before standing up and walking out of Brennan's office without another word.

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	3. Monday 11th 2009 7:35 pm

Monday 11th 2009; 7:35 pm: Nolita's Bar

Brennan walked passed the window of the bar and looked inside. She shoved her keys into her pocket and walked through the front door quickly, shaking the raindrops from her coat.

He didn't turn around even though he knew that she was there. Brennan quietly took a seat next to him and ordered herself a cup of coffee.

Booth cleared his throat, "Thank you for coming." He said quietly, staring into the bottom of the half empty glass that sat in front of him.

Brennan shrugged, "It was no problem." She said, "Why did you ask me to come?" she asked.

Booth finally looked up at her with a sad smile, "I wanted a friendly face to be here before I drank myself into oblivion." He said, then turning his gaze back to the glass.

Brennan nodded and thanked the bar tender when he slid the coffee cup in front of her along with a bowl of creamers. Brennan opened up one of the small containers and dumped the contents into her cup before asking, "Am I supposed to just be here as moral support for your binge drinking or am I supposed to prevent you from doing it?" she asked.

Booth shrugged, "Which ever you think is best."

Brennan sighed quietly and turned into her barstool to look at him, "May I suggest; considering your genetic link to alcoholism, that you refrain from using alcohol as a way to avoid your stress concerning the package you received today?" she said.

Booth closed his eyes, dropped his head and smiled, "This," he said, lifting his eyes and looking directly at her, "is why I wanted you here."

Brennan looked at him curiously and tilted her head to the side, "To relay my feelings logically?" she asked.

Booth laughed and looked at her for a moment before quietly responding, "Yeah, Bones."

Booth pushed the glass away from him and stood up, "Let's get out of here." He said, tossing a twenty down on the bar and shrugging on his coat.

He and Brennan left the bar and jogged to her car that was parked across the street. They both jumped in and Brennan turned on the car and turned up the heat, "Where is your car?" she asked.

"Back at my apartment. I ran here." He said.

Brennan quirked her eyebrows, "You ran to the bar in your suit?" she asked.

Booth laughed and scratched his head, "Yeah. I guess I was so caught up in thinking about everything that I had forgotten. It started out as a walk, then a run, then a drink at the bar." He said.

Brennan flicked on her headlights, put her car in drive and reached over to pat him on the leg, but found his hand instead. Booth flipped his hand over and captured hers in his own and kept it there. Brennan smiled and let her foot off of the break and took off down the street towards Booth's home.

When they arrived at Booth's apartment, Brennan put the car in park and turned to him, "Here we are." She said with finality.

"Nope." He said with a small smile on his face.

Brennan looked at him, her face full of confusion, "Yes. This is your apartment complex Booth."

Booth reached over and turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He proceeded to open the door and step out of the car, then leaning his head back inside the vehicle to a bewildered Brennan, "Come on, Bones." He said, "What are you waiting for?"

Brennan sighed, "I guess I'm coming up?"

Booth tossed her his signature charm smile and winked at her, "You really are a genius." He said slamming the door shut and placing her keys in his pocket.

Brennan popped open her door and got out of the driver's seat wearily, "I was planning on going back to the lab, Booth."

Booth shook his head and then looked up at the heavens and clasped his hands in prayer, "Dear lord, please help my partner learn and understand that work is not infinitely fun."

Brennan slammed the door shut and crossed her arms, "File a small claims suit against me, Booth. I enjoy my work."

Booth laughed, "The phrase is, 'so sue me', Bones. It doesn't specify which court the suit goes through."

Brennan walked around her car and began walking up the steps to his apartment without waiting for him, "You are very difficult to be around sometimes, Booth. Always correcting me…" she started to explain.

Booth walked up the steps behind her, "Eating non-organic food makes you genitals shrivel up, Booth. Pie is extremely bad for your diet, Booth. Jesus is a zombie, Booth. The gravedigger is a lot like God, don't you think so, Booth?" he rattled on.

Brennan stopped talking and looked over her shoulder, "Fine, I see your point." She acquiesced.

Booth laughed as they made it to his door and he opened it up and ushered her inside, "Just so long as our relationship stays 'equal opportunity nagging and correcting', I'm happy."  
Brennan laughed, "I concur." She said, walking straight to the kitchen and flicking on the light switch, "So, Thai, Indian, Italian or Greek?" she asked as Booth walked into the kitchen behind her and shrugged off his coat.

He turned to her and took her coat off of her as she shifted through menus and said, "I always liked the Welsch best, but now that you mention it, Greek women can be very aesthetically pleasing as well." He laughed.

Brennan turned to him with a quirked eyebrow. She raised the menus in her hand and simply stated, "Food."

"Oh!" he said exaggeratedly, "My mistake!" he laughed. He looked at the menus for a moment before picking the Italian menu out of her hands and waving it at her. She grabbed the menu and reached for the phone while Booth left to change out of his suit.

When Brennan was done ordering the food, she walked into the living room and turned on the television. She settled down on the couch and began flipping channels when Booth came back out and plopped down next to her clad in a pair of grey sweatpants and a white sports t-shirt.

They sat in companionable silence for a minute when there was a knock at the door. Booth looked at Brennan curiously, "That can't be the food, can it?" he asked, noting that it had only been a few minutes.

Brennan shrugged, "Answer the door." She said placing the remote down on the coffee table.

Booth stood up and walked to the door to find a delivery man at the door, but not the kind he had been expecting. The man handed over a red box with a ribbon wrapped around it, "Seeley Booth, right?" the delivery man asked, checking his log.

Booth nodded, "Yeah."

The delivery man smiled and nodded, "Have a nice day." He said, then turning and walking down the hallway.

Booth hesitantly shut the door and walked back into the living room and placing the box on the coffee table. Brennan scooted forward on the couch and examined the box, "Do you think this is from the same person as the last package?" she asked.

Booth looked up at her, "I don't remember having a secret admirer, so I would assume so." He said.

Brennan smiled and retrieved her purse and fished out a pair of gloves from the inside pocket and put them on. She carefully pulled the ribbon loose and lifted the lid off of the box. Inside there was a bouquet of roses and a small plain white card, like the last one sitting on top of the stems.

Brennan looked up at Booth and he back at her. Brennan laid the box top on the floor next to her and lifted the card in her hand and removed it from the small envelope that it was placed in. She looked questioningly at the inscription, "I don't understand." She said, turning the card in her hand so that Booth could look at it.

Booth squinted at the card and rolled his eyes, "It's morris code." He said. Booth grabbed a piece of paper and pencil off of the table and started to decode it and Brennan placed the card back in the box face up so that he could see it. She snapped off the gloves and placed them on the table and stared at the box of roses and noticed something. She straightened her back and made sure she was right before she looked up at Booth, "Booth." She said, getting his attention, "There are thirteen roses in the box. Don't you think that's strange?"

Booth sighed and looked in the box, and then handed the notepad over to her. She accepted it and read what the decoded message said. It read:

**15****th**** Street and H Street at 11 pm**

**God Bless America**

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	4. Monday 11th 2009 8:34 pm

**ONE MORE UPDATE TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Either keep a look out or add a story alert so it pops up in your email when I post the next chapter!**

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Monday 11th 2009; 8:34 pm: Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth

"I'm not sure I understand." Brennan muttered as Booth paced back and forth in his living room.

"I guess he wants to meet." He said, "Why now, though? I've lived with this for fifteen years and now someone wants to dig all of this back up again?" he said, running a hand through his hair, "I'm not going." He said, then entering into the kitchen.

Brennan paused for a moment and then stood up and followed him. She found him standing at the fridge twisting off the cap of a miller light and taking a swig, "You have to go, Booth."

He slammed the fridge door shut and took another sip of the beer, "No. No I don't, Bones."

"This man obviously has some information about what happened to you, Booth. It's important that you go."

"Or he could just be some radical left wing conspiracist who wants to get his jolly's off messing with my head!"

Brennan sighed and crossed her arms, "I think the logical thing to do is to go and listen to what he has to say and consider the information when you get it."

"Logic." Booth laughed sarcastically, "Always thinking logically, huh Bones?" he said.

Brennan nodded her head, "Yes."

Booth shook his head, "Not everything is about logic all of the time, Bones. Some things have to do with feeling; and right now, I _feel_ like I don't give a shit about what this person has to say about my life."

"This is not my fault, Booth!" she yelled, "Don't take your anger out on me just because I'm trying to think in your best interest." She watched as his anger crumbled in front of her and he leaned on the counter and dropped his head, "I thought you said you weren't going to drink." She said quietly.

Booth lifted the bottle and looked at it, "If I were going to be an alcoholic, I would have been one ten times over by now." He said softly.

Brennan sighed and took a few steps closer to him, "I don't want to fight with you, Booth. Not when what we need to be doing now is… tightening ranks… holding centers."

Booth finally lifted his head and smiled genuinely at her and silently laughed. Brennan smiled and laughed as well as Booth pulled her to a hug. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and rested his chin on her head as Brennan wrapped her arms up around his neck and leaned her forehead on his chest.

After a moment, Brennan pulled away and Booth let her go, "So," she said, brushing a renegade strand of hair behind her ear, "are you going to go?"

Booth shrugged and took another sip of the beer, "I don't see what other choice I have. You're right. I have to at least listen to this guy so I can determine whether or not the information is crazy or… not." He said.

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked.

"No." he said sternly, "There is no telling if this guy is dangerous Bones. I don't want you to be in any danger. You will wait here for me and I will tell you everything." He said.

Brennan suddenly turned and headed back into the living room and grabbed her purse and rifled through it, "Take this with you." She said, pulling out her hand held digital recorder, "If it turns out that he is crazy, then we can at least sue him."

Booth laughed and took the recorder from her and checked it out, "Thanks." He said. At that moment, there was a knock on his door.

Although she couldn't prove it, she watched as Booth's eyes darkened dramatically at the sound. Booth placed the recorder down on the counter and hesitantly walked to the door. He threw the door open and sighed in relief as the delivery man raised the bags to him and smiled, "That'll be twenty three dollars."

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**ONE MORE UPDATE TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Either keep a look out or add a story alert so it pops up in your email when I post the next chapter!**


	5. Monday 11th 2009 10:58 pm

**This is for Bookworm, who was the only one to review (on two sites, might I add) after the first chapter was written tonight.**

**Thanks Bookworm!**

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**Monday 11****th**** 2009; 10:58 pm; Corner of 15****th**** and H Street**

Seeley Booth stood on the nearly vacant street with his back to the wind. The only people in sight were a few people walking to clubs and bars in the nearby area and couples lazily strolling down the street; no doubt on their way home from a date. He sighed to himself, wishing that that was the reason that he was out in the cold weather himself, but unfortunately, he knew that being who he was, living the life he did rarely ever lended itself to being so whimsical and carefree.

He checked his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time and then pulled his coat closer to his body. Temperance was sitting in his apartment at the moment and he wondered what she was doing there all by herself. Was she sitting and watching T.V.? Looking for a book in his very small collection of novels; most of which were hers? Maybe she was rifling through his things in attempt to learn more about him. He inwardly giggled at that thought. He knew Temperance was always curious about who he was, just as he was about her, and it's not as though he hadn't done his fair share of snooping around her place.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by a pay phone on the other side of the street. He looked over at it and noticed that no one was near it or even compelled to answer it. He cautiously crossed the street and stood in front of the phone. The coward couldn't even show up in person? He thought to himself. He took Brennan's digital recorder out of his pocket and hit record and then picked up the receiver, "Yeah."

"Seargent Booth?" the voice said.

"Who the hell is this?" Booth asked; almost yelled.

"That's not important." The man responded, "Listen and listen fast. I'm going to give you some names and you are going to research them."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Yeah, whatever."

"James McArthur, Thaddeus Edwards, Jonathon Giomano, Lawrence Fischer and Gerald Jones. Got it?" he said.

"Thaddeus Edwards? As in the president?" he asked.

"That is correct." The voice said on the other end.

"What the hell is going on." Booth whispered violently, "Why don't you just tell me what I'm supposed to look for; what you want me to find?"

"Absolutely not, Seargent. If I tell you what I know, you wouldn't believe me. I need for you to find out yourself. All I'm doing is pointing you in the right direction."

"Tell me what this is all about, now!" Booth yelled.

"I'll be contacting you again in a week's time." The man paused and then said, "You can stop the recorder now." And the line went dead.

Booth looked up and cased the area around him, there was no one in sight that appeared to be suspicious, no one on the phone. Booth looked up at the surrounding apartment buildings and could get no clear visual on anyone; and he felt unnerved and paranoid knowing that someone had been watching him the entire time that he was there.

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Booth unlocked the door to his apartment and walked in slowly, shrugging off his coat. He walked into the living room and was surprised at what he saw. Brennan was curled up on the couch with a book in her hand fast asleep. Booth smiled and stared at her for a moment. She was very beautiful, with a pillow tucked under her head and half of her hair splayed across her face. Her mouth was clenched tightly shut and her left hand was tucked underneath her chin, fending off the cold he presumed.

He walked over to her and gently took the book from her hand. He was about to lay it down on the coffee table when he realized what it was. Her messy scrawl was strewn across the page and at the top was written his name with an underline.

_Reconstruction of casts show that the_y _match his shoe size._

_Messages written on are confirmed to be the same as Booth had detailed earlier in the day. _

_Nothing new had been inscribed upon them._

_Waiting on DNA results for casts to positively identify them with Booth._

_No particulates were found on the box or the card that was left. _

_Paper for card was traced to an internet café that uses organic paper._

_Hundreds of people have access to aforementioned cafe; no way to trace._

_The box was a simple shoe box listing a size 12 men's loafers bought at a chain shoe store._

_Store confirmed that shoes were widely bought and therefore also useless to trace._

_Things to do:_

_Need to examine roses, rose box and note tomorrow at lab._

_Booth's and delivery man's fingerprints will be on the box._

_Why thirteen roses?_

_Why roses at all?_

_Ask Angela how to help Booth through this; I feel as though I may be letting him down._

Booth looked at Brennan sadly. He couldn't even begin to describe how wonderful she was; how wonderful she was being with him through this whole ordeal. He had believed that he was letting her down by constantly getting overwhelmed by the ordeal that he was facing. He knew that there was a good chance that he might not be strong enough to hear the facts about what was happening and what had happened; and the last thing he wanted to do was let her see him at his weakest, where he could not only not care for himself, but for her and Parker either.

Booth closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. He gently picked up Brennan off of the couch and carried her into his bedroom and laid her gently on the bed. Next, he removed her shoes, noting the red lines on her feet that those awful pumps made on them and brought the blanket up underneath her neck.

He knew that he should leave now, but his feet would adamantly not move. Finally, he gave into his desire and leaned down and softly kissed her on the forehead. She sighed and smiled and turned over in his bed, her face buried deeply into his pillow.

With a smile on his face, he walked out of his room, closed the door quietly and took up residence on the couch for the rest of the night.

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	6. Tuesday 12th 2009 5:56 am

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**Tuesday 12****th**** 2009; 5:56 am: Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

"Bones." He whispered, lightly brushing his index finger over her cheek, "Bones wake up."

Brennan shifted in his bed, her eyelids fluttered, "You smell amazing." She said groggily, scooting closer towards him. Booth smiled and blushed at her actions. When she finally stirred into wakefulness, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes, "Did I say that out loud?" she asked.

Booth nodded his head, "Yup. It's nice to know that my efforts are appreciated though." He laughed.

Brennan dropped her head back down onto the pillow and tossed the sheets over her head with a grown. After a moment she asked, "What time is it?"

Booth looked at the clock on his nightstand, "A little before six." He said.

Brennan pushed the covers off of her head again, "I'm usually heading into the lab already." She said.

Booth rolled his eyes, "I know, and that is precisely why I didn't wake you up earlier."

"Jerk." She said softly, her eyes still closed.

He laughed and hiked his legs up on the bed and leaned against the head board, "I want to talk to you." He said.

Brennan yawned and shifted her position on the bed slightly, "You have my undivided attention." She said, finally opening her eyes and looking at him.

He grabbed her journal off of the nightstand and showed it to her, "About this."

Brennan jumped up onto her knees immediately and grabbed the book out of his grasp, "You read my journal?" she asked unbelievingly.

"Just the one page about what has been going on." He admitted.

Brennan sighed and opened to that page and reviewed it, "You shouldn't have done that, Booth." She said more casually.

Booth shrugged, "I'm sorry. When I came home last night, you were asleep on the couch and it was lying open to the page."

Brennan raised her hand to her head and then her eyes widened, "Last night! What happened?" she asked.

"I'll tell you that later, I have it all on your recorder." He said, "Listen, I don't want you to feel like you aren't being a good enough friend to me, Bones. You don't need Angela's help to help me through this because you're doing fine on your own. I know you and I know what you are capable of. I know that you care about me regardless of what words come out of your mouth."

Brennan's head tilted to the side and he was drawn to her eyes. He momentarily lost his ability to breath as what he interpreted from that look, that only lasted for a moment was one of pure adoration. Without warning, she lunged forwards and locked her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Booth, after a moment of hesitation linked his arms around her torso and took a deep breath. Just this moment, this one minute action in a lifetime of grand gestures was proof of what he had been trying to tell her.

Brennan pulled away and smiled at him and he returned it, "So, do you want to take a shower here?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "I think I'll just go home so I can get some clothes as well." She said. She looked at her surroundings and furrowed her eyebrows, "How did I end up in your bed?" she asked.

**Tuesday 12****th**** 2009; 11:35 am: The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan had been studying the remains of the stocking victim all morning. Although she knew that she most likely wouldn't find anything new from her preliminary nor subsequent examinations of the remains, she buckled down in hopes that she had perhaps missed something. Finally after three hours of useless effort, she gave up. Until she could look at the other case files that Booth had had Charlie dig up she knew that she would most likely find nothing that could aide in the investigation.

She walked into her office and sat down at her desk and dug out the digital recorder from her purse that Booth had returned to her this morning. She stared at the small device before pressing the play button and listened for the umpteenth time that day. She had written the names down on a sheet of paper and typed them into google, but found nothing other than various news reports of good deeds that they had done in their communities, as well as a slew of comments and we blogs about the president himself.

There was nothing that she could find that would link all of these men together other than their work in politics. The recording ended and Brennan slammed the recorder on her desk in frustration.

"Doctor B?" Hodgins called from her door.

Brennan turned and looked up at her college, "Yes, Doctor Hodgins?"

Hodgins took a few steps into her office, holding a file in his hands. He approached her desk and stopped at the edge and handed her the file, "These are all of my findings on the body. Whoever is responsible for these murders either knew how to eradicate evidence from the body, or just plainly didn't leave any. All I found was traces of seafood on the remaining leg tissue which I can safely assume is from where she was last seen considering the spices that were also present on the body and pollen spores that were congruent with the grass that surrounded her at the crime scene where the body was located." He shrugged.

Brennan sighed, "Thanks Hodgins. Regardless of whether or not it helps, this is excellent work. Do you know if Angela has had any luck with the identification?" she asked.

Hodgins nodded, "The new intern had some trouble figuring out how the boiler works, but she has the skull now and is working on it." He said.

"Good." Brennan said laying the file down on her desk and picking up the sheet of paper with the names on it, "Can I ask you a personal favor, Hodgins?" she asked.

Hodgin's eyes widened, "Sure. What's it about?" he asked.

Brennan studied him for a moment before handing him the list. She watched as he became increasingly surprised, "I need you to promise me that you will keep this to yourself." She said quietly.

"What exactly is this about?" he asked, "All of these men are pretty high ranking in the government." He said.

"I can't tell you exactly, because I would be betraying a confidence if I told you. What I need is any information that might link all of these men together." She said.

Hodgins appeared to be taken aback for a moment, "This is about Booth and that box isn't it?" he asked.

Brennan scoffed, "No."

Hodgins rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, Doctor B."

"Am I really that transparent?" she asked.

Hodgins laughed, "Well, the only person who would be dealing with this kind of information and is given your complete trust and confidence is Booth."

Brennan smiled, "Okay, fine. You're right. Now get out of my office."

Hodgins laughed and tucked the piece of paper in his pocket and turned to leave. Brennan sat back down at her desk muttering, "Booth was right about you."

Hodgins turned on his heels to look at her, "Right about what?"

Brennan looked up and smiled, "You would make a good detective." She said simply. Hodgins rolled his eyes and turned, hiding from Brennan the smile that ultimately took over his features.

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	7. May 12th, 2009: 2:16 pm

**Here is the chapter! Hopefully I will have another chapter for all of you tonight; something with a little more umph!**

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**May 12****th****, 2009: 2:16 pm: J. Edgar Hoover Building**

Booth barged into Sweets' office without asking permission, "Hey Sweets!" he called.

Sweets stood up from his chair suddenly and nervously, trying to remember what he did. As Booth drew closer, Sweets backed up, "Yes Agent Booth?" he stuttered.

"You got those case files I gave you?" he asked, "I need to pass them over to Bones by the end of the day."

Sweets furrowed his eyebrows and half nodded, "Uh… yeah. I'm finished with them. My notes for you two are on top." He said taking the files off of his work station and handing them over to the agent.

"Great." Booth said, distractedly.

Sweets looked over Booth momentarily before speaking up, "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Huh?" Booth said, looking up from Sweets' notes, "Yeah, why?" he asked.

Sweets shook his head, "You seem agitated."

Booth shrugged, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "I'm not agitated." He said.

"I hate to disagree with you…"

"You love to disagree with me, Sweets…" Booth interrupted.

Sweets sighed, "Look, you appear to be extremely troubled by something. Your muscles are tensed, you look exhausted like you haven't been sleeping well…"

Booth held a hand up to stop the analytical psychologist, "I didn't sleep well last night, that's all."

"Was something troubling you?" Sweets asked.

"Stop it already, Sweets." Booth argued, "If something is bothering me than it is my problem. If I need your help, which I won't, then I'll let you know."

"Agent Booth, I'm your psychologist. I feel that if whatever is troubling you could affect your partnership and therefore it would be imperative that we talk through this."

"Me and Bones are tighter than ever. You have nothing to worry about Sweets."

"Are you sure about that?" Sweets asked skeptically.

"Absolutely positive. Ask Bones if you think otherwise."

Sweets held his hands out to the sides, "I plan on it."

**May 12****th****, 2009: 4:47 pm: The Medico Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute**

Doctor Temperance Brennan was sitting at her desk when she saw someone out of the corner of her eye enter her office and beeline their way to her couch. When she looked up, she saw Seeley Booth lying down, or more like sprawled out on the plush piece of furniture.

Immediately concerned, Brennan stood up and walked over to his supine form and sat down on the edge of the coffee table, "Are you okay?" she asked. He grunted in response.

She reached out her hand and placed it on his bicep, "Booth, did you get another package?" she asked.

He could hear in her tone that she was extremely worried and he immediately sat up on the couch and faced her, "No, I'm sorry I scared you, Bones." He said, "It's just been a rough day."

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to the bent files in Booth's hand.

"Oh…" he said, straightening them out and handing them to her, "Stocking man potential victims and Sweet's notes."

Brennan took them and glanced over Sweets notes, "I'm going to have to exhume a lot of these girls. You know that, right?" she asked.

"Yeah." He said solemnly.

Brennan glanced up at Booth and then back down at the files, "We'll figure this out, Booth."

"I know." He sighed, "We always do."

At that moment, Doctor Hodgins walked into Brennan's office, "Am I interrupting something?" he asked.

Booth and Brennan looked up at the same time and answered, "No."

"Oh… kay." Hodgins said, attempting to quell the smirk that he felt coming on, "So I did some digging on those names." He said.

Brennan winced inwardly and outwardly and then looked at Booth. Hodgins saw the look and looked between the two partners, "You mean you didn't ask him about this?"

Brennan looked up at Hodgins, "What? It's not my fault that I don't have access to top secret government information. I'm only on a need to know basis!" she defended.

Booth shook his head and smiled, "It's… it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure, dude? Because I can totally forget that this ever happened, if you want that is…"

Booth held his hands up in the air in surrender, "It's fine. Don't worry about it." He reassured, "We might as well let the whole squint squad in on it though at this point." He said under his breath.

Brennan looked at Booth and sighed, then at Hodgins, "What did you find?" she asked.

Hodgins looked at Booth and back at Brennan, "Nothing really. They were all in different branches of the military and were members of special ops in their respective branches. They've received medals for heroism, bravery…"

Booth lowered his head into his hands, "Great."

Brennan extended her hand to him to take the file of information he had found, "Thanks Hodgins." She said. Hogins turned to leave, "Oh, you didn't find anything from the boxes I gave you, did you?" she asked.

Hodgins turned around and shook his head, "Nothing." He shrugged. He turned around and walked out of the office.

They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke, "I'm sorry."

Booth lifted his head and looked into her eyes, "No, Bones." He said, "I'm sorry. I know that you're just trying to help. Jack is a crazy nut ball who knows pretty much everything that the government doesn't want people like us to know. It's was very rational to ask him."

Brennan shifted uncomfortably, "I didn't do it because it was logical, Booth." She said simply.

Booth smiled, "I know, and that's why I can't bring myself to be angry with you." Brennan smiled and looked at the information that Hodgins gave her. She knit her eyebrows together while reading the information and then began flipping the pages. Booth looked at her curiously and his interest peaked, "What is it?" he asked.

"All of these men received the same award." She said, handing the file over to Booth and pointing at the list of accomplishments.

Booth studied the information, "Medal of Allegiance." He said, questioning the words on the page in the tone of his voice, "I've never heard of this one."

"What do you think it's for?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "I don't know and I've received a lot of medals, so you would think that I would know about this one."

"Do you think that this is what he wanted you to find?" she asked.

Booth shrugged, "Who knows. But at least we have something to look into."


	8. Tuesday 12th 2009: 7:26 pm

**Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter! Let me know!**

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**May 12th, 2009: 7:26 pm: The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

He couldn't help but think it. There was no way to avoid the possibility at this point, regardless of what Bones had been telling him for the past two days. Someone was playing him; big time, and he had bought right into it. His work from the past two days on the stocking killer case had decreased in productivity and actual investigative work. The only real work that had been done was all by the squints at the Jeffersonian. He had not been contributing to the case at all since he had found the first package on Monday morning and he feared that the team at the lab might start to resent his split focus.

He was sure that by this point all of the squints knew about what was going on. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out with all of their off of the books research and tasks done as personal favors to Brennan. Who ever it was that was trying to take his attention away from the five to seven potential victims of the stocking killer was laying it on thick to detract his attention away from the case. The thirteen roses that were sent to his apartment, the ability to have somehow, somewhere gotten hold of his casts from when he was in the army; not only was he sly enough to make him believe what he was saying, but also methodical enough to send these messages in extremely indisputable ways. It also meant that the killer knew where he lived; which was not something that he was very happy about.

Aggravated with the whole situation, Seeley Booth immediately called Rebecca when he had gotten home from work and sadly cancelled his upcoming weekend with Parker until further notice. He wasn't going to take any chances with Parker's safety as long as the killer was targeting him. Brennan was another story. He knew that if he tried to make her stay away from him that she would flatly refuse. Besides the fact that he needed her help with the case, if he even tried to keep his distance from her in his personal life she would immediately believe that he was intentionally trying to distance himself for personal reasons. He knew that he could distance himself from Parker because his safety was more important than anything, but Bones; she would never stand for him being protective over her especially when his life could be in danger. Plus, it was bad enough that he would be seeing Parker for an indeterminate period of time, but Brennan and Parker? He didn't know that he could handle living without being able to see both of them for a few days much less weeks.

He had been sitting in his living room for a few hours at this point with a beer in his hand and the television on. He hadn't been watching it, but from an outsider's point of view, it would appear as though he were enthralled by the current sports program that was running. That was how Brennan found him when she entered his apartment uninvited. He merely smiled when he heard her rustling bags in his kitchen and then enter the living room with two plates of food, a glass of wine and a fresh beer for him.

"You're so predictable." He said, graciously accepting the plate of baked ziti from her.

"I'm no such thing." She said, sitting down next to him and taking a bite of Italian bread.

"So, did we get an I.D. on the victim?" he asked.

Brennan smacked herself in the head and closed her eyes, "Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't tell you?" she asked, completely beside herself.

Booth smiled and looked at her, "At least now I know I'm not the only one completely distracted." He said.

"Jennifer Morris. She's twenty six years old, works for the foster care system and contributed to numerous charities in the area." Brennan rattled off.

Booth furrowed his brows in confusion, "If she worked for the foster care system how did she have enough money to contribute to charities? I would think that she would have trouble just getting by."

Brennan shook her head and swallowed her food, "No. She contributed her time and energy rather than money. She did a lot of work for Alex's lemonade, Wounded warriors, The American Cancer Society…"

"I think I got it now, Bones." Booth interrupted.

Brennan jabbed a noodle onto her fork and lifted it towards her mouth, "The interesting thing is that the other women in those case files you gave me, are all just like her with exception to one or two of them."

"You think that someone is going after good citizens?" he asked.

"Sweets said that he likes to become fixated on strong independent women who choose to stand out through their physical appearance. Jennifer Morris, although I wouldn't have known this without Jack's input was what some people refer to as 'gothic' and the other women were potentially his victims as well have similar rebellious attire and makeup that defies the norms of our traditional American society."

"That doesn't make sense." Booth said to himself more than Brennan.

"What?" she asked.

"That doesn't make sense." He repeated, looking up at her.

"Yes, Booth. It does make sense."

"No." he said, putting his plate on the coffee table and leaning back onto the couch, "I've been convinced that this guy was after me and trying to distract me from the case by sending me those messages, but that doesn't fit with the profile at all."

Brennan paused for a moment before speaking, "I'm afraid that I'm confused Booth."

"I convinced myself it was one guy, coming after me and killing these women, but it isn't. It can't be, can it?"

Brennan shrugged, "You know I don't trust psychology. Logically, I would think that the methodology of both circumstances is very different leading one to believe that it would most definitely be two separate people. Then again, one person can be capable of many things, so it could be the same person. This is why I don't put any stock in psychology." There was silence between them until Brennan shifted in her seat and said, "Hey, I have a question." She said.

Booth looked up at her, "Yes?"

"The casts this man sent you obviously have a major impact on you, but the roses; I'm not sure that I understand their significance." She said.

"The roses," he started, "are the national flower of America and thirteen is a number that you can find in a lot of American History. The thirteen colonies, thirteen arrows and roses on the back of the dollar bill…" Booth sighed, "It's a subtle way of saying that America is significant."

"Significant to you?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "I don't know. I mean, it's no secret that I'm a patriotic man, what with my service to my country in the army and now working for the government as an FBI agent. He also, not so subtly put at the end of the message 'God Bless America'."

Brennan nodded, "And considering we don't know what his meaning behind that is, sarcastic or genuine, it seems that we won't know what his true intentions are."

Booth nodded, "Yeah, but I have a feeling that it has nothing to do with supporting my patriotism."

Brennan nodded, "Objectively, I would have to say that, if my gut could tell me things, it would be saying that you're right." Booth hung his head down and closed his eyes, completely overwhelmed and frustrated with his life. He groaned and reached for his plate, but retracted his hand knowing that he no longer felt like eating. Brennan placed her hand hesitantly on his back and placed her plate along side his, "I didn't mean to make things worse for you." She said softly.

"You didn't, Bones. If anything, you helped." He said, taking her free hand in his own.

Brennan nodded, "Oh. How?"

Booth smiled and couldn't help but laugh. He straightened up, looped his arm around her and pulled her into his side, "Don't worry about it, Bones." He said, then kissing the top of her head, "Don't worry about it."


	9. Wednesday the 13th: 10:42 am

**Wednesday the 13****th****: 10:42 am; The Jeffersonian Institute Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan sat on her couch running over facts and figures that had been accumulated during the autopsies of the several other potential victims of the stocking killer, but she found herself unable to concentrate. She knew that what had been happening was secondary to the women who had been killed by this maniac, but all she could think about was the fact that it was Booth who this maniac was messing with; if it was indeed the same person.

It was all a little too much. Despite the fact that bad things had happened to them before, she had always deluded herself into thinking that nothing bad would happen to them anymore. They had their fair share of turmoil and pain and now they were done. But this person who was coming after Booth was coming at him through a means which they knew could hurt him. He had been shot, beaten whipped, burned but the one torture that no one had ever really tried on him; intentionally at least, was emotional.

It was both his strength and his weakness and it made her completely irate that someone would stoop so low to try and take advantage of a good man. She was trying her best to keep him happy, but she felt that regardless of what he said that she wasn't giving him the kind of support that he ultimately needed. _Maybe,_ she thought to herself, _that's my strength and weakness._ _Being sure of myself and doubting myself in the same breath._

Brennan dropped her head and wiped her face in frustration letting out a groan as Angela cleared her throat from the door of her office. Brennan turned, slightly surprised by her presence, as well as Cam's and waited for them to speak. When they said nothing she spoke up, "Yes?"

Cam gave Angela a gentle shove forward, nodding to her to get her best friend's attention. Angela cleared her throat, "Hey Bren." she said quietly.

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

Angela looked at Cam for moral support and then back at Brennan, "We just wanted to make sure that everyone was okay." She said, walking over to the couch and taking a seat next to Brennan.

Cam followed in afterwards and took a seat across the coffee table in a chair, "We've noticed all of the… things that have been going on and while we respect your right to privacy and discretion on behalf of your friends, we could help but piece together some things that were otherwise left unexplained to us."

Brennan looked back and forth between the two women before speaking, "I just assumed that you had figured it out by now." She said.

Cam and Angela looked at each other. Cam looked at Brennan and then down at her hands, "Well, yes and no. We are fairly certain that there is something going on with Booth, most likely that someone is sending him cryptic messages, but that's about all of the information we have thus far."

Brennan's eyes widened, "Jack actually kept a secret from you?" Brennan said, turning to Angela.

"He knew?" Angela exclaimed, "That little…"

Brennan grabbed Angela's hand, "Loyal friend?" Brennan finished for her, "Besides Angela, you two aren't dating anymore. You don't have a reason to be angry with him. I was just surprised because… well…"

Cam snickered and shook her head swiftly deterring the anthropologist from completing her sentence, "Anyhow, can we finally know what is going on?" she asked.

Brennan nodded her head and took a deep breath, "Monday morning, Booth received a package addressed to him at the FBI building. Upon opening the package he realized that the box contained the remnants of the casts that once were a part of healing his feet after they had been broken by an unknown group of men in the Middle East. He had been captured during his time in desert storm and brought to an unknown location, strapped to a makeshift table and the soles of his feet were beaten repeatedly with pipes." Brennan paused to assess the situation in the room. Angela was crying, having never heard this story before, and Cam's down trodden eyes and painful expression led Brennan to believe that while she had heard the story before, the retelling of the events didn't hurt any less than the last time she heard it.

Brennan took another breath and started again, "On Tuesday, he received a box of thirteen roses, which he informs me is ironic, being that the rose is the national flower and the fact that there were thirteen is somehow significant in American history. I believe that both of you have handled the cards that he had received and know what was written on them." She questioned.

Cam shook her head, "The second was in code."

"Oh." Brennan said, "Right, Booth said that it was the written equivalent of Morris Code. It said something to the effect of 'Be at the corner of H street and 15th street, God Bless America'." Brennan said, shaking her head, trying to get the right phrasing from the note.

"He went to meet that psycho?" Angela exclaimed.

Brennan sighed, "Not technically." She said, shifting into a more comfortable position on the couch, "He went there with the intention and assumption of meeting in person, but the man who he was supposed to meet actual initiated contact with him via a nearby payphone." She said, holding up her index finger and moving from the couch to her desk to dig out the digital recorder. She walked back over to them and hit play.

They listened to the recording of the man and Booth conversing and when it was over she hit the stop button. The women all sat in silence, thinking over what they had heard on the recording.

"Was that what happened on the phone?" Hodgins asked from the door, startling the silent women.

Brennan turned around and looked at the astonished doctor, "Yes. I'm sorry. I've just been so distracted…" she started.

Angela stood up and walked toward her friend, "It's okay, sweetie. We understand."

"What is going on here?" A voice sounded from out in the lab, "Bones!" Booth yelled, as the occupants of the office watched him storm towards her office door. He turned around the corner to see four sympathetic eyes staring back at him. He took a double take stared back at them. They all knew what was going on and they pitied him. He suddenly felt and enormous amount of self consciousness that these people, these colleagues whom he had considered friends for the past four years could do nothing but look at him, and feel sorry for him.

He patted the door frame that he was standing next to as a means to reclaim some of the confidence that he had come into the Jeffersonian with, but failed. When he started to speak, his voice was raspy and his gaze lowered to the floor, "Bones, I need you to come with me."

Brennan nodded and gathered her things and left with him in silence. They made it all the way out to the car before Brennan stopped, "Are you angry?" she asked.

Booth stopped and turned to her, "No." he said half heartedly and shook his head, "I don't know. I don't think so."

"How could you not know if you're angry?" she asked.

He looked up at the sky and placed his hands on his hips, "It's just… this whole thing is a little disconcerting. I've never been in this position before, Bones. I feel like I can't trust anyone right now."

"You can trust me, Booth." She said taking a step toward him. When he didn't respond, she gently pushed him on the shoulder, "You can trust me."

Booth smiled at her, "I know I can trust you. In fact, I think that you and the squint squad are the only people who I know, without a doubt that I can trust. It's my colleagues at the FBI that I'm not sure I can trust. It's ridiculous because this guy has me so paranoid that I'm trusting him more than I'm trusting the people I work with, side by side every single day. And the fact that it might be a ploy; that it may not even be a real thing makes it really unnerving to see all of you taking pity on me."

"We aren't taking pity on you, Booth. We're concerned. Just like you were concerned about me when my father came back, just like you were concerned for Zack after he was committed; like you were concerned for Angela when Roxy was a suspect in one of our investigations. Shall I go on?" she asked.

Booth smiled, "No. I think I've received the message."

"Good." She said sternly and then smiled, "Now where are we going?"

"We're going to Jennifer's office to talk to her boss. See if she had noticed anything strange about her last few weeks." He said shrugging.

Brennan nodded, "Then what are we waiting for?" she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

Booth smiled and silently laughed as he placed his hand on her lower back and led her the rest of the way to the car.

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	10. Wednesday the 13th: 1:47 pm

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This chapter is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG so I hope that makes up for my sporadic updating. Granted, I update a lot more regularly then a lot of other people do! haha

I REALLY Hope you like this chapter, because I certainley do.

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**Wednesday the 13****th****: 1:47 pm; D.C. Division of Child Services and Support**

Booth and Brennan hesitantly stepped inside the run down and bustling building. Phones were ringing incessantly and while employees were running around everywhere there were numerous children scattered about the large entry room simply waiting. None seemed the slightest bit happy, and who could blame them? Considering the fact that the only reason any of them would be there is because of issues relating to their family, whether it be a situation concerning abuse, neglect or simply the death of their guardians, everyone knew that this was not a place in which anyone was happy to be.

Brennan let out a shaky breath before following behind Booth down through the rows of desks to find the person in charge. She had tried not to, but she couldn't help but look each child that she passed directly in the eyes. She had been here before, in the same situation and she couldn't help but sympathize fully with each child. She wanted some way to give them hope, to inspire them and let them know that there were good people in this world that were at least trying to help them but knew that it was a fruitless task. At this time in their lives, there was no possible way to make them feel better about a life that frankly was going to be unpleasant until they got out of the foster care system. Mostly she just wanted to rent a bus and take care of all of them herself so that she would know that they were taken care of a provided for properly, but she knew that while she was brave, she wasn't brave enough to take on that challenge at this point in her life.

Booth turned to her when they reached the office he had been looking for and placed his hands on her shoulders, "You okay?" he asked softly.

Brennan simply nodded, finding no words to adequately sum up her current state of well being. Booth gave her a reassuring smile and turned to knock lightly on the door before opening it, "Excuse me ma'am." He said, calling the attention of the frazzled woman who sat behind a desk. Booth stepped inside the office as the woman looked up from her computer and Brennan followed him into the office. He took his badge off of his belt buckle and showed it to her, "Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner Doctor Temperance Brennan. I need to ask you a few questions about Jennifer Morris."

The woman stood up from behind her desk and gestured to the chairs in front of her desk, which they both took, "I'm Sarah Stever." She introduced, "Would either of you like a cup of coffee?" she asked, "I don't recommend it, but if you want…"

Booth and Brennan both shook their heads and Booth leaned forward, "No thank you." He said, "We just have a few questions for you and then we'll get out of your way."

The woman smiled, tiredly and sat back down, "Okay shoot." She said.

Brennan's face crinkled, "Why would you want him to shoot you?" she asked, "Did you kill Jennifer Morris?"

Sarah looked at Booth and Booth turned to Brennan to explain, "She doesn't actually want me to shoot her, Bones."

Brennan gave a slight nod, "Right."

Booth gave her a small smile and turned back to Sarah, "When was the last time Jennifer came into work?" he asked.

Sara thought for a moment before answering, "I think that it was about a week and a half ago. Tuesday, I believe."

Booth nodded and took note, "Did she seem as though there was something bothering her?"

Sarah shrugged, "Not particularly." She said, "She was into the goth scene and for the most part it was hard to distinguish between emotions with her. Although, now that I think about it, she did seem a little on edge that day. She had been working on a case concerning a six year old girl whose parents had disappeared; we had a counselor in that day working with the girl and she was being very uncooperative. Jennifer had become quite frustrated by the situation and snapped at her."

"Snapped?" Booth asked, "How so?"

Sarah stiffened as though she had realized the ramifications of her words, "It was nothing violent or abusive in anyway." She said, reassuring the Agent, "She just spoke quite firmly to her." She shrugged, "It happens from time to time in such a tense situation and I can assure you that I removed her from the room immediately afterwards."

Brennan let out a frustrated breath and shifted in her seat. Booth could feel the tension radiating off of her from his seat. He tried to not look over at her but couldn't help himself as he glanced her way and saw in her features not only the hurt of her own past but the pain that she felt for the young girl whom she didn't even know.

He cleared his throat and turned back to Sarah, "Had there been anyone strange hanging around the building that you know of? Anyone you think may have wanted to hurt her?"

Sarah shook her head, "No. Not at all."

Booth nodded and took a few more notes before there was a knock at the door. The door clicked open and a young woman stuck her head through the door, "Lila is here, Sarah." She said.

"Oh, good. Thanks Denise." She said, "Will that be all?"

Booth nodded and stood, "Thank you for your time." He said, "If you think of anything else, here is my card." He said, digging a card out of his lapel pocket and handing it to her.

Sarah nodded, "Thanks, I will."

As Brennan stood up, Booth placed his hand comfortingly on her lower back and guided her out of the office. Brennan was so lost in her thought that as she walked out of the office, she knocked into something. When she looked down, she saw a small petite blonde girl rubbing her nose, "Oh!" she said kneeling down, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you!"

The little girl looked at her with vibrant green eyes, "You're so tall! I don't blame you!" the girl said softly.

Brennan smiled and ran her hand over the girl's soft curls, "What's your name?" she asked.

"Lila." She answered simply.

"My name is Tempe. It's nice to meet you." She said, holding out her hand.

The girl looked at her warily before firmly grasping the doctor's hand, "Do you eat your broccoli's?" she asked.

Brennan laughed softly and looked up at Booth who had a grin from ear to ear watching the interaction between the two of them, "Yes." She said, turning back to the young girl, "As a matter of fact I do."

"My mommy always said that if I eated my broccoli's that I would get big and strong." She said, "I guess she was right." She confirmed.

Brennan tilted her head to the side and studied the small girl, "Well Lila, it was an absolute pleasure bumping into you."

The girl smiled lightly, "Next time, try not to bump so hard, okay?" the girl replied.

Brennan nodded, "I'll certainly try not to." She said, standing up again. The girl went into Sarah's office and Brennan watched her until the door closed. Booth guided her away from the door and back to the SUV.

When they got into the car, they were quiet. Booth knew that something was going on inside her head but he wasn't sure how to broach the subject.

"She reminds me of Parker." She said softly.

Booth glanced at her, "Who?"

"Lila." She answered. After another moment or two she spoke up again, "It's not fair."

"I know, Bones." He said, "Every kid deserves a loving home."

"I know that it's irrational to hope for a utopia but I just don't see the sense in letting children be raised by the government. Conditions are horrible not only in group homes but in the foster homes themselves. A lot of the foster parents are only using the system as a means to obtain easy money or some sick twisted motivation that I cannot even bare to think about. They don't actually care about the children and it's not right. Someone should do something about it."

Booth sighed, "You're absolutely right, Bones. Some foster parents use the system for those things, but then there are amazing foster parents who raise their foster kids as if they were their own. Some of those foster kids turn out to be successful, brilliant and beautiful people." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Brennan looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, "Are you complimenting me?" she asked.

Booth smiled and glanced at her, "Caught that did you?" he asked.

Brennan smiled, "Yes but, Booth, I'm the rarity. I was the lucky one out of everyone that I knew from foster care. I got off with a few bruises and scrapes while others were raped tortured and neglect."

"What?" Booth asked, completely shocked, "Your foster parent's hit you?" he asked in complete and utter shock.

"_One_ of my foster parents hit me Booth. The others never really cared enough to hit me. I was only with them for a month and a half, so it wasn't that bad, but when I got out of the system I immediately began taking self defense classes." She said. Brennan looked over at Booth, "It's just, I hate to think about a sweet young girl like Lila, or even Parker in that kind of situation." She said, shaking her head.

"Well, Parker is never going to be in that situation, Bones. Never."

"What if you and Rebecca die, Booth? You can't predict the future."

"We're not going to die. At least I'm not with you watching my back." He smiled.

Brennan sighed, "Be serious, Booth."

"Fine. Seriously? If she and I both died, I would want you to take him. In fact, I've already put it in my will."

Brennan turned to him suddenly, looking at him with shock and confusion on her face, "Me?" she asked.

Booth nodded, "Absolutely." He said, without hesitation in his voice.

"Why? I mean, what about Jared?" she asked.

Booth looked at her seriously before turning back to the road, "Hypothetically speaking, Bones, would you leave your child with Jared?"

Brennan paused and thought about it before shaking her head, "Not ever. Not in a million years."

"A million? Really?" he joked. She glared at him, "That's what I thought. Besides, with you, I know that Parker will grow up in a loving home, be provided for and probably be…" he paused before saying it, rolling his eyes at the thought, "A brilliant squint." He laughed.

Brennan laughed as well, "You want Parker to be a squint?"

"I want Parker to be whatever makes him happy, that's all." He smiled.

Brennan shook her head and smiled. Then a thought occurred to her and she had to ask, "Booth, why do you have a will?"

"Oh." He said, shifting in his seat, "It's kind of standard practice, I guess. High risk job and all." It suddenly became quiet in the car again and Booth wasn't comfortable with it and he knew now that he never should have said anything about it, "So, about the foster parents." He said. She barely reacted when he said anything so he tried harder, "You know, Bones. One act of kindness can go a long way."

This caught Brennan's attention, "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Booth pulled into a spot in front of the Royal Diner and put the car in park, "All I'm saying is, there is a girl in need and you have the opportunity to change things for her. To give her that comfort that you know you are capable of giving." He said turning off the ignition and hopping out of the car.

Brennan sat in the passenger seat until her door opened for her. Booth stood outside her door smiling that smile that drove her crazy. She unbuckled her seat belt and jumped out of the car. Booth slammed the door shut and walked into the diner, Brennan running behind him, "You know I don't understand your riddles, Booth." She said as he opened the door for her.

She glided through the door and over to their regular table and sat down. Booth trailed behind her and sat down across from her, "What about that was a riddle?" he asked.

"Are you suggesting that I take her in?" she asked.

Booth smiled, "That's exactly what I'm suggesting, Bones."

Brennan sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, "There is no way Booth. I can't raise a child with the life that I lead. I'm constantly working and I'm emotionally distant. I can't give a child the kind of nurturing that they require." She defended.

Booth shook his head, "I don't believe it, Bones. No, I refuse to accept it. You would be a great mom, Bones. I don't care how many excuses you give. Were you even there when you were talking to that girl. You gave her more affection in that one interaction than she's probably had in months. Her face lit up when you knelt down to talk to her and you were there for less than five minutes."

"That was only five minutes, Booth. It's impossible to tell what a long term relationship would be like after five minutes." She said.

"You're right, Bones." He agreed, "But then why does Parker love you so much?" he asked.

"That doesn't count."

Booth laughed, "Of course it counts!"

"Parker only loves me because you… because of you."

"Wrong. I like Cam and he hated her."

Brennan paused before speaking again, "Why?" she asked.

Booth shrugged, "I have no idea, Bones. He wouldn't tell me why. I guess he thought that it would hurt my feelings."

Brennan sighed, she had no argument left in her at that point. Booth smiled and leaned toward her, "Look, Bones. Just… think about the possibility, okay? You don't have to make any decisions now or anything but if you want to help this girl out, then help her out."

Brennan nodded and sighed and continued thinking.

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	11. Wednesday the 13th: 5:43 pm

**I give you......... a break from conspiracey and crime!**

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**Wednesday the 13****th****: 5:43 pm; Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

By the time Temperance had gotten home that day, she was absolutely exhausted. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before for reasons that she couldn't possibly know. While being in her own home was a comfort, she somehow felt drawn to Booth's as she was right now. So much had happened in a few short days and while she had always found comfort in his presence, she was feeling it even more-so now.

It was strange for her to feel like a stranger in her own home. The intense quiet of her apartment was beginning to unnerve her and so she attempted to remedy that with some light music. She flipped through her CD collection and found one of her old KD Lang cd's and popped it into the player. As the music washed itself over her desolate apartment, she walked slowly into her kitchen to find something to eat.

The thoughts of her own childhood had been pushing their way through her thoughts since they had left D.C.S. and she knew that she was being truthful when she had said that she had been one of the lucky ones. She never received any kind of really intense or cruel torture like others that she knew or heard about; that, including the fact that she was abandoned when she was fifteen rather than at an earlier age made her genuinely lucky. Although she was not a full adult at the time considering her brain had yet to fully develop, she was still a generally a young adult. In many cultures women were married with children by that age, but these children, like Lila were virtually defenseless against the cruelties they were forced to deal with on a day to day basis.

The mere thought of Lila being abused made her want to vomit, which is why she quickly closed the refrigerator door and thought about whether or not to just go to his apartment. Finally, after much silent debate she decided to take a shower and then head over. When she made it two thirds of the way down her hallway, she heard a familiar knock on the door that made her smile. She turned and walked more briskly towards her door, looking through the peep hole first to make sure it was him.

She smiled and opened the door, "Hello there." She smiled.

Booth smiled back at her, his hands in his pockets, "Hey." He said sheepishly.

Brennan stepped to the side and let him in, then re-locking her door and turning to face him, "Didn't you just drop me off at the Jeffersonian…" she looked at her watch, "twenty minutes ago?" she asked.

Booth smiled, guiltily, "Yeah yeah." He said making his way over to her couch and sitting, "I got back to my place and… I didn't feel like being alone."

Brennan nodded and sat down next to him and rested her head on the back of the couch, "Good." She said.

"Good?" he asked.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "I was going to take a shower." She said, then sighed when he raised his eyebrows skeptically at her, "And then head over to your apartment." She admitted.

Booth laughed, "You just can't stay away! Can ya, Bones?" he said.

Brennan glared at him, "Look who is talking!"

Booth raised his hands up in surrender, "Fair enough, Bones."

"Hungry?" she asked, closing her eyes for a moment.

Booth looked at her and smiled. When she opened her eyes again however he quickly averted his gaze and shrugged, "I could eat."

Brennan quickly stood up and walked into her kitchen and grabbed some take out menus and her portable phone, "What do you want? And please, no jokes about foreign women this time." She smiled.

Booth giggled and reached out to her to take the menus, "I don't know. I'm kinda in the mood for pizza." He said, "What do you think?"

Brennan nodded her head and began dialing the number, "Pizza sounds good." She said, "Beer is in the fridge." She said pointing distractedly to the kitchen.

He pointed at her as he stood up, "Beer or wine?" he asked.

"Beer." She mouthed as the woman on the other end picked up and gave the customary greeting.

Booth made his way into the kitchen and grabbed the umbrella that Brennan left there for his use only. He stood off to the side of the fridge and hooked the umbrella into the handle and pried it open. No explosion.

He knew that the probability of there being a bomb inside her refrigerator again was slim to none, but he also lived by the old adage, 'fool me once…' and decided not to take that chance again.

He smiled at the cool air emanating from the appliance and grabbed two of her non-foreign beers off of the door shelf and swung the door closed. He replaced the umbrella beside the fridge and walked back into the living room where Brennan was seated comfortably on the couch, "No bombs?" she asked.

Booth twisted off the caps of both beers and handed one to her, "No bombs."

They smiled at each other and took a silent sip of their drinks. Booth sighed and turned to Brennan, "So what do you want to do tonight?" he asked, "We could go clubbing." He said sarcastically, then making beat box noises and dancing like a stereotypical creepy old man.

Brennan laughed and punched him in the shoulder, "I'm too tired for clubbing… and too old." She said.

Booth laughed, "You're not too old for it, but I certainly am."

Brennan shook her head, "I'm afraid the young female inhabitants of those clubs would beg to differ, Booth."

Booth looked at her curiously, "What? Why do you say that?" he asked.

Brennan looked at him astonished, "Are you being serious?" she asked. Booth shrugged and implored with his eyes for her to explain, "Everywhere we go you have women looking at you. Women of all ages notice you and stare at you, and occasionally follow you." She laughed.

Booth furrowed his brow and shifted in his seat, "Really?" he asked, completely shocked by her statement.

Brennan shook her head and changed her position so she was directly facing him, "You're honestly telling me that you've never noticed that?" she asked.

Booth shrugged, "Occasionally, I guess. But not nearly to the extent that you're saying."

"Today, for example." She said, "The woman who brought Lila into Sarah's office was ogling you."

Booth crinkled his nose and tilted his head, "No she wasn't, Bones."

Brennan nodded adamantly, "Yes, she was. I had noticed her looking at you while I was talking to Lila and then as we left, she was walking behind you and looking at your behind."

Booth laughed, "Well how was I supposed to notice her ogling me if she was behind me while doing it?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "Well, you wouldn't, I guess."

"And you really shouldn't be talking either Bones. Men are constantly checking you out and you don't even realize it."

"What? No they don't." she defended.

Booth laughed, "How many men have you caught staring at your chest in the past…I don't know, two days?" he asked.

Brennan thought for a moment and her eyes widened, "That doesn't count, Booth." She said, shaking her head, "It's natural for a man's primal instincts to trump his conscious morals." She explained.

"That's not what I asked, Bones…" he smiled.

Brennan shifted slightly and averted her eyes for a moment, "Okay, fine." She acquiesced, "Three men, I caught, that I know of." She admitted begrudgingly.

"See!" he said victoriously.

There was a knock on the door. Brennan got up off of the couch, still laughing at the ridiculous conversation that she was taking part in. She swung open the door and found the pizza delivery man on the other side, "That'll be twenty three bucks." The guy said.

Brennan looked around and realized that they hadn't gotten money together yet, "Sorry, I have to get my wallet. Come in." she said, waving the man inside and closing the door.

He put the pizza down on the counter and watched Brennan's butt as she walked into her kitchen to retrieve her purse. He nodded cockily and slowly spun to check out the apartment and saw Booth standing with his arms crossed over his chest and walking towards him, "Uh…" the delivery guy stuttered, "Hey."

Booth smiled tightly at the young punk, "Hi there." He said.

The delivery boy nodded his head and hitched it over in the direction Brennan went, "Good stuff you got there."

Booth felt his anger rising in his throat but decided to play it dumb, "What do you mean?" he said shaking his head, as though he were confused.

The delivery guy took a step towards Booth and winked, "Your woman, dude. Man, I bet you're just banging that thing every morning, noon and…" Before he could even finish the rest of his sentence, Booth picked him up by the armpits like a toddler, kicked open the door and tossed him outside of the apartment. The delivery guy, who just barely saved himself from falling over, looked absolutely stunned, "What the hell!" he yelled.

Booth took two fast long steps towards him and looked him dead in the eyes, "Word to the wise, buddy. Don't ever talk about her, or any woman like that again. It's disrespectful." He said. The delivery guy attempted to move away from him, but Booth caught him by the shirt collar and pulled him back up to the wall, "If I ever see you again…Nah… I know I won't because I don't think you're that stupid. Right? You can't possibly be that stupid, huh?"

The delivery guy nodded adamantly just as Brennan stepped outside the door to see what was going on, "Booth?" she said, noticing the dominating position he had over the young man.

"Guess what Bones. Cha-chi here is letting us have the pizza for free."

Brennan paused for a moment and looked between the two men; one with a ferocious gaze of malcontent and the other with an expression of complete and utter vulnerability."

The guy looked at Brennan with desperation in his eyes, "Can you tell him to let me go now?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "I don't know what you did, but I trust his judgement. He'll let you go when he believes it is appropriate. He is and FBI Agent after all, so I don't think he will seriously harm you in any way."

Booth took a moment to look over at her and smile genuinely, "Thanks Bones!" he said then tossing the guy down the hallway towards the elevator, "Have a nice day, ya moron."

Brennan walked back into the apartment, followed by Booth and closed and locked the door behind him, "What did he do?" she asked.

Booth walked over to the pizza and lifted the lid, "He made a vile and contemptible comment about your… assets." He said, taking a slice out of the box and biting into it.

Brennan walked to the counter and put the money in her pocket before reaching for the two plates she had brought out with her and handed one to Booth, "You mean he checked me out?" she asked.

"Yeah. He checked you out and then he called you a 'thing' and reduced you to nothing more than an object that's only purpose is for…"

"Sexual gratification." She finished for him, "Normally I would yell at you for doing something like that, but considering I wasn't present at the time to hear it and we got a free pizza out of it, I'm consciously choosing not to. Besides, I'm sure with the stress of the stocking killer case and these mysterious messages that have been happening in the last few days you have some sort of feeling of inferiority and weakness and so you felt the need to rectify it by reasserting your dominance over someone who is clearly easy for you to assert your dominance over."

"I stopped listening to that after the part when you said you wouldn't yell at me." He smiled and walked towards the couch again.

Brennan groaned and laughed successively and followed him to the couch, "So what are we going to do tonight?"

"No clubs." Booth said, his mouth half full.

Brennan smiled and folded her slice in half and took a small bite, "Yes, we've already established that."

"I don't know." Booth said, wiping some oil off of his chin, "What is there to do in here besides… playing Parcheesi?" he asked.

Brennan thought for a moment, "We could watch a movie?" she suggested.

Booth paused and looked at her, "Since when do you have a television, Bones?"

Brennan shrugged, "Since my father came back. He was staying here while he was looking for a place to stay and a job and he talked me into buying him a TV for his room and a DVD player for when the girls came to visit with Russ and Amy."

"Bones, you mean that for the past year and a half I have been coming over here and playing board games with you, there was a perfectly good, unused television within twenty feet of us?"

"I forgot about it, Booth." She said defensively, "I never use it."

Booth stood up off of the couch and threw away his plate and walked into the guest bedroom to find a forty-two inch plasma screen television hanging on the wall and a DVD stand containing a variety of movies. He immediately started going through them to find one that they both would enjoy.

After wrapping up the majority of the free pizza and putting it in the refrigerator, Brennan walked into her guest room to find Booth pulling out an assortment of choices, "Bones, your dad has great taste in movies."

Brennan walked over to the pile of DVD's and began shifting through them, "Booth, these are all crimes and dramas."

Booth looked up at her and at the pile, "Yeah?" he asked.

Brennan sighed, "I can't watch these." She said, "You'll get angry with me."

Booth thought about it for a moment and then nodded, "You're going to analyze them, aren't you?"

Brennan nodded, "Yes, and after this week, I'm not really in the mood."

Booth sighed and began putting the DVD's back. When he was finished he looked at the rack, "Non crime…" he said to himself, "Okay, we have Tinkerbelle, Sydney White, The complete first season of Hannah Montana…" he laughed, "Enchanted… I'm not even going to read off the documentaries…"

"Why? They're very educational…"

"No." he said, "If you get veto power then so do I." he said, "So, we have children's movies left." He pulled a movie out of the rack and popped it into the DVD player and threw himself down on the bed.

"What did you put in?" she asked.

"Enchanted. Parker wanted to watch it when it came out. It's decent, for a kids movie."

Brennan sat down on the bed beside him, opting instead to lean against the headboard, "I'm going to hate it aren't I?" she asked.

Booth sighed, "Probably, but it's uplifting." He pulled a pillow from behind him and propped his head up slightly for a better view of the T.V.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Brennan was enthralled by the storyline; granted, she loathed the fairytale aspect of the movie (and kept her thoughts about the subject to herself), she felt somewhat empathetic for Giselle, the main character of the movie. Although their situations were dramatically different they both shared the same inadequacies of being unable to understand the world that they were in. Not to mention the somewhat parallel relationship with a single father. By this time, she was laying on the bed next to Booth on her side with a pillow tucked between her head and her arm.

"Bones?" he asked.

Brennan looked up at him, "Yeah?"

He smiled, "I thought you were asleep."

Brennan smiled and laid her head on the pillow again, "No, although I'm so comfortable that I probably could."

"Yeah." He said shifting on the bed, "What kind of mattress is this?" he asked.

"Tempurpedic. I bought it for Dad's bad back. It's probably good for you too."

"I gotta get me one of these." He said, yawning half way through his statement.

By the end of the movie, both Booth and Brennan were both half asleep. Brennan had her head resting on Booth's shoulder and his arm was loosely looped around her shoulders. Brennan lethargically patted his chest, "Movie's over." She slurred.

Booth moaned and rolled over onto his side towards Brennan, "uh huh."

Brennan patted him again, this time even more lethargic than the last. Booth stuck his arm behind him and blindly searched for the remote. When he found it, he shut off the T.V. and tossed the remote onto the floor somewhere and placed his arm on her hip and they both fell asleep.

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**Please Review! Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing, I really appreciate your time and energy.**


	12. Thursday the 14th: 5:00 am

**Hey guys! Happy Bonesday! I hope you like this chapter. It's not particularly fluffy, but I think you're going to like it anyway!**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

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**Thursday the 14****th****: 5:00 am; Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

A loud buzzing sound woke Temperance Brennan from her restful state. Disoriented, she ran her hands across her eyes and raised her head from the pillow on which it was laid to focus in on her surroundings but all she saw was skin. She blinked a few times and pulled herself back to see her partner still in a deep state of slumber with a small, just barely discernable smile across his face. Next she noticed that his arms were wrapped around her waist almost as tightly as hers were around his upper back and neck. She let out a small laugh and realized that the buzzing sound that had awoken her was in fact her own alarm clock in the next room.

She slowly attempted to disentangle herself from her partner's grasp, but the moment that she removed his hand from it's comfortable place around her, his eyes shot open. She smiled at him, almost mischievously and he returned it with a beaming, still groggy charm smile of his own, "Sleep well?" he asked, removing his arms from around her waist and sitting up.

Brennan laughed and swung her legs off of the other side of the bed, "Yes, very well. And you?" she asked.

"I tell you, this mattress works wonders. I don't think I've ever slept better." He said, inwardly thinking to himself that that was not the only reason he slept so well.

Brennan stretched her arms over her head and ran her hands through her mangy bed headed hair, "You should go." She said, then turning to him to see the momentary sadness that crossed his features, "I mean, we both have to get ready for work." she explained further.

Booth smiled, "Yup. It's not like I have any suits here."

Brennan laughed and stood from the bed, "Nor do I have any of those flashy socks that you love so much."

Booth smiled and stood up and straightened out the sheets on the bed. They both stood awkwardly, attempting not to make eye contact, but finding that they were almost magnetically drawn to each other. They of course had shared a bed on more than one occasion, but had always been able to avoid this situation because it was not in either of their homes. They normally had a impending case to solve which gave them the motivation to get up and get ready in the morning, but now with nothing other than a normal work day ahead of them and the fact that there was no immediate need to be in at this early of an hour made it all the more uncomfortable and strangely comforting for them to be together.

Booth clapped his hands together, "Okay then." He said.

Brennan nodded and moved through the door and back out into the living room whispering to herself a semi-strangled, "Okay then."

She reached the door, unlocked and opened it for Booth. When he reached the door, he patted his legs and looked around the apartment in a small gesture to make sure that he hadn't left anything behind and then his gaze fell upon her, "Well, I guess I'll see you later."

Brennan nodded, "I would think so." She said.

They stared at each other for a moment and then he abruptly walked through the threshold with a short and simple, "Bye."

Brennan closed the door behind him and locked the deadbolt once more.

**Thursday the 14****th****: 8:12 am; The Jeffersonian Institute Medico Legal Lab**

After the awkward morning with Booth at her apartment, Brennan quickly showered and dressed for the day ahead of her and left for the Jeffersonian. She was normally into work well before many of her colleagues arrived, but since breaking up with Angela, Hodgins was frequently in even before she came in.

He sat at one of the computers as Brennan was doing her umpteenth examination of Jennifer Morris' remains, "Hey." He said turning to her, "Did you get the exhumation orders yet?" he asked.

Brennan turned to look at the Doctor Hodgins and straightened her posture, "Not yet. The judge isn't wholly convinced that the murders are all related. We gave him Sweets' profile and all of the documents and x-rays of the prior alleged victims to review and he said we would know by the latest tomorrow morning." She said.

Hodgins nodded and went to turn back to the computer but changed his mind, "And what did the Social Worker say about Jen?" he asked.

Brennan put down her instruments, took off her gloves and sat down next to him, "Nothing really imperative to the investigation so far. She had said that she seemed slightly agitated the last time she came into work, but apparently that was considered normal for her." Brennan shrugged, "There has to be something though. I've never come up against a case where there were no conclusive facts left by the remains."

"What did Angela find?" he asked.

"She was trying to make an estimated body mass on the Angelator on Tuesday but there is some sort of glitch in the system that she needs to attend to before we get our results. She told me yesterday that she would probably need all of today to work out the problem and then input the variables into the program."

Hodgins leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "This case is by far the worst one we've worked in the four years that we've been hooked up with Booth." Hodgins said, shaking his head.

Brennan swiveled in her chair, "I hate to agree with you, but I think that you're right. It seems that no matter where we turn in this case, we're constantly running into some sort of obstacle and on top of that, the situation concerning Booth's history in the military is consuming both his and my own thoughts distracting us both from the case at hand."

Hodgins nodded, "Have you found anything else out about the Medal?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "I googled it but only found results for video games and fictitious stories online and Booth doesn't have the necessary clearance for those files."

Hodgins swiveled around in his chair and looked at the computer screen for a moment before closing out the programs and typing in a few commands. Before she even knew what was going on, a screen popped up with jargon that she did not recognize and a prominent logo for the pentagon emblazoned at the top of the screen.

Brennan looked from the screen to Hodgins quickly before finally finding her voice, "What are you doing?" she whispered forcefully as to avoid drawing attention from colleagues and coworkers who were filing their way in to start on their work for the day.

Hodgins gave her a sly smile before turning back to the screen, "The good thing about being who I am is that I not only know how to hack into government files and remain untraceable and… ya know… in the off chance that I'm traced, I'm rich enough to be able to get out of most legal binds." He laughed.

Brennan put her hand on his shoulder and patted it firmly, "For the record I cannot condone the actions that you are taking part in at this particular moment." She said, leaning in closer to the screen to see exactly what he was doing.

Hodgins laughed, "Noted."

They sat staring at the computer screen has Hodgins hacked through each firewall that the Pentagon had set up for their protection until they heard the card reader at the base of the platform stairs beep. Hodgin's eyes remained focused on his task while Brennan gently glanced over that the person walking up the stairs. Then she did a double take and quickly stood up to cover the screen as Booth walked towards her with a conspicuous look upon his face, "Hey Bones." He said, in a tone that suggested that he knew that something was going on.

"Hey Booth." Brennan responded a little too excitedly for her own good. They stood for a moment, staring at each other as Booth attempted to find out what they were up to. Finally when he realized that it was an impossible task, he gently picked her up and moved her to the side, much to her protest and looked at the computer screen, "WOAH! HODGINS! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he shouted, his heart jumping from the abnormal rhythm that it normally was around Bones to the equivalent of the normal rhythm that it had after he had shot someone.

Hodgins' finger continued moving over the keyboard without so much as a pause he responded, "Helping." In a short response.

Booth turned in a circle and then his eyes laid on Brennan who seemed extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, "Bones?" he asked.

Brennan straightened her posture and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, "Hodgins and I were discussing the situation and now he's attempting to find pertinent information to your case so that we might be able to focus on the murder investigation." She said firmly, raising and eyebrow at him.

Booth ran a hand through his hair and then down his face and shook his head, "I'm not a party to this." He said defiantly, "Do you both hear me?" he said, almost yelled at the two of them.

Hodgins lifted his eyes from the screen momentarily to look at Booth, "I'm on my own. I know that already." He said, then continued to type away at the mainframe.

Booth stood there behind Hodgins and looked at the jumble of code on the screen and then back away. It was obvious to Brennan that the whole situation was truly unnerving him and so she took a step towards him and diverted his attention, "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.

Booth appraised her for a moment before answering her, "I came by to pick you up. I figure that while we're waiting on exhumation orders we might as well go and check out Jennifer Morris' apartment to see if there are any clues to who or what might have upset her the last day that she went to work."

Brennan nodded her head, "Okay, I'll go get my things." She said.

Booth looked over Hodgins shoulder at the screen before following Brennan off of the platform and into her office. He loomed over her in silence while she took off her lab coat and put on a light jacket and grabbed her purse. Brennan, although knowing full well that it was scientifically impossible, could feel Booth's tension and unease as she walked slightly ahead of him while exiting the building and making her way to his SUV which was illegally parked right in front of the building. It wasn't something that he ever did and that was why Brennan turned to look at him questioningly before getting in.

He stopped in front of her and noticed her look of concern, "What?" he asked defensively.

"You're parked illegally." She said.

Booth glared at her, "Well I guess that means that you're not the only one who broke the law today then." He said angrily before walking over to the driver's side and slamming the door shut behind him.

Brennan sighed and then climbed into the passenger seat, "I'm sorry. We're just trying to help you." She explained.

"I know." He said, the anger still thoroughly present in his voice, "But there are laws that we have to abide by, Bones. We're law enforcers, Bones. Just because we enforce laws doesn't mean that we are above them."

"I am not law enforcement, Booth." She interjected, "I'm a rational and empirical scientist and the most rational thing to do was to find out more information to give my partner and best friend a moment of solace." She said, "If I have to break some ridiculous law to do it then that is what I'm going to do. Millions of law enforcement officials and politicians take advantage of the system all of the time."

"We're better than them, Bones. That's what makes you and I the good guys, because we don't take advantage even though we know that we can because of connections or intelligence."

Brennan scoffed, "So you're saying that you don't want us to help you?" she asked sarcastically, "Because I don't understand, Booth. One minute you're asking me for help and the next you're complaining about the means in which I'm trying to help you."

"I want your support, Bones, as a friend. I don't want you or Hodgins or anyone else breaking the law to… to solve the puzzle. I'm not asking you for answers, don't you see that?"

"That's what I do, Booth." She said, "That's how I cope with things. I figure them out, I research and evaluate until I know how it works and I find the truth. That's what a scientist does." She yelled at him.

"I don't need the truth, Temperance. At least not as much as I need you!" he yelled back. He paused for a moment before continuing, "If you're means of helping me puts you behind bars for the rest of your life on charges of treason, the truth won't matter anymore because you won't be there." He said softly.

Brennan sighed and nodded her head, "I understand." She said.

After a few moments of complete silence Booth began to chuckle. The chuckle became more robust and Brennan turned to him with a look of complete bewilderment, "What are you laughing about?" she asked, almost in distaste.

Booth laughed a little longer and then turned to her with a smile both on his face and in his eyes, "You are definitely your father's daughter." He said.

Brennan shifted in her seat, crossed her arms and mumbled under her breath, "Shut up." But when she turned to look out of her window, a small smile graced her lips.

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	13. Thursday the 14th: 10:43 am

**That dang 'SAVE' button just doesn't do what it used to!! Haha! Sorry about that. Here is the REAL chapter!**

**Thursday the 14****th****: 10:43 am; Connecticut Heights Apartments **

After stopping quickly at the diner to pick up a bagel and coffee for each of them, Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth stood behind Jennifer Morris' landlord as they waited for him to unlock the apartment. With a polite smile on his face, he pushed the key into the door and paused. Then turning to look at the two of them he asked, "Can I just see your badge one more time?"

Booth rolled his eyes and then extricated his badge from his belt loop and held it up for the anxious landlord to see, "Okay now?" he asked.

The landlord reluctantly nodded his head and unlocked the door as promised and let the two of them inside. As they entered the apartment they noticed that the place was relatively messy. Clothes were strewn about and food wrappers, pizza boxes and other random pieces of trash were cluttered on every flat surface in the room. Brennan crinkled her nose at the rancid smell and pulled the corner of her jacket up to her nose to block out the smell. Booth turned to her with a look of surprise, "Really?" he asked.

Brennan glared at him, "What?"

"Rotting flesh stench is okay but some moldy pizza bothers you?" he asked.

"This smell is quite rancid, Booth." She defended.

Booth shook his head and laughed and then continued on into the apartment, "Did like to clean much." He said, picking up an inside out shirt that was covered in bits of cereal.

Brennan nodded and looked through a pile of mail that was left on a table near the door, "Past due, past due, ParaMag?" she said, holding up a magazine with a picture of a ghoulish girl on the front of it.

Booth smiled, "Paranormal, Bones."

Brennan looked down at the offending magazine, "I don't understand. People research this nonsense?" she asked.

"Of course they do, Bones." He said walking over to her and taking the magazine out of her hands and flipping through it, "Not everyone believes that there is nothing after death like you. Some people think that it's possible that after a body is dead a spirit lives on." He explained.

"Like you and heaven?" she asked.

He looked up at her, "Yeah, something like that." He said, then plopping the magazine back on the table and walking into the kitchen.

Brennan looked at the magazine and then back in the direction Booth went, "Do you think, in the spirit of scientific inquiry that it would be okay for me to acquisition this magazine for my own personal research?" she asked.

Booth peaked his head around the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room and appraised her, "You really want to read something like that?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "While I believe that it is an irrational and completely misplaced belief, there are numerous tribes and cultures that partake in the belief system that one continues to live after death. While I've studied a vast majority of these religious groups, tribes and orders, I must admit that my research concerning today's modern, westernized, technologically based society belief in the spiritual is somewhat lacking." She explained, "So, is it okay?"

Booth shrugged, "I don't know, do you think that the paranormal has anything to do with Jennifer Morris' death?" he asked. Brennan glared at him, "Well then, I guess it's okay." He smiled and disappeared into the kitchen again.

Brennan smiled and stuffed the magazine into her purse and continued looking around the room. Right next to the phone, Brennan found an old answering machine with a small tape deck attached to it. Without thinking about it, she removed the tape from the deck and packed it inside of an evidence bag for Angela to review. As she continued looking around through the chaos, Booth called her into the kitchen, "What?" she asked stepping inside the equally messy room.

Booth turned around to look at her and pointed at a dried and long dead bouquet of flowers standing in a glass vase on the counter, "Roses." He said.

Brennan looked at him warily and moved toward the vase, "Are you thinking…" she started.

Booth interjected, "That these could have been sent by the person? I don't know. There's only twelve roses." He said, moving away from her and taking a seat at the kitchen table.

Brennan looked at him and examined the vase that they were seated in. She lifted it up and examined the bottom, "What florist were your flowers sent from?" she asked.

Booth raised his hand to his forehead and rubbed it, "Uh, I think it was called A little shop of flowers." He said.

Brennan cleared her throat and showed the sticker on the bottom of the vase to her partner. In small red script letters was the name "A Little Shop of Flowers" inscribed on the bottom.

**Thursday the 14****th****: 12:15 pm; A Little Shop of Flowers **

Booth and Brennan entered into the establishment with a bell chiming over their heads to alert the sales clerks of their presence. The shop was relatively quiet for this time of day and a young girl approached the counter and smiled genuinely at the two of them, "Can I help you?" she asked.

Booth smiled at her and approached the counter, "FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner Doctor Temperance Brennan." He said, flashing his badge at the somewhat surprised clerk, "There was a purchase made at this establishment that could be related to the death of a girl." He said.

The girl nodded, "Okay, so, how can I help you?" she asked.

Booth looked at Brennan and then leaned on the counter in a means to charm the girl, "We were wondering if you might be able to print out your records for us so we might be able to see who the sender was." He explained.

The girl smiled politely and took a step away from the counter to give distance between herself and the Agent, "Do you have a warrant?" she asked.

Booth's smiled faltered slightly, "No, we don't. We were just hoping that you would be, ya know, helpful."

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and looked towards where the back room was and then back at the agent, "I really wish that I could be helpful, but my manager just ran out to the bank and I really don't feel comfortable doing that without permission." She said.

Booth leaned a little closer to the girl and smiled at her a little more widely, "All you have to do is load up the records page and hit print. It would be really helpful." He winked at her.

The polite smile faded from the girls face, "Dude, you're like old enough to be my Dad and I already told you I don't feel comfortable doing it. We employ parolees here to do the heavy lifting so I really think my manager and more importantly the owner is going to want a warrant first anyways."

Booth smile crumbled and he nodded, "Alright." He said standing up straight, "Can't blame me for trying right?" he shrugged.

The girl giggled at his expression, "Does that whole charming thing really work for you?" she asked.

"You'd be surprised." Brennan interrupted, "He's very persuasive and manipulative. It's evident to me that you're a very strong minded young woman." She said.

"Well," the girl said, "Normally it would've worked, but I'm already in trouble with the bosses anyway."

Brennan and Booth immediately stepped back towards the counter, "Why are you in trouble?" he asked.

The girl waved her hand dismissively in the air, "Oh, normally when we take delivery orders we have to get all of the imperative information from the sender so that we can verify delivery, but this one guy absolutely refused to give it to me and paid in cash. The flowers got to the recipient alright so I don't get what the big deal is. I mean what was I supposed to do? Not take his business? I mean, business is business, right?"

"We need those records." Brennan said softly to Booth.

Booth took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Caroline Julian's number, "I'm on it. Call Ange and get her down here for a sketch."

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	14. Thursday the 14th: 1:35 pm

**Here is the next chapter!**

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**Thursday the 14****th****: 1:35 pm; A Little Shop of Flowers **

Within the hour, Angela was almost complete with the sketch of the man that gave the young clerk a hard time and had pinpoint which of the purchases on the records list was the one she had gotten in trouble for. It was the delivery that was sent to Booth's home.

As she had stated, he had paid in cash and had not given her any information for a confirmation of delivery, so they were left at a dead end on that account. As for Jennifer Morris' delivery, it was sent by a man named Charles Chester who ironically lived in the same building as her, two floors down.

Brennan was seated by the door of the flower shop, patiently looking through her newly acquired paranormal magazine while waiting for Booth to complete his questioning of the store manager and the clerk. When both he and Angela were done, she stood up and put the magazine away, "So the flowers were sent by two different people?" she asked.

Angela looked at Booth and then back at Brennan with a hopeless look on her face, "This is what the man looked like." She said, turning around her sketch pad to show Brennan.

"He looks familiar." Brennan said, gazing at the picture.

"Probably because he looks like the uni-bomber." Angela said, "The description she gave me was a little… lack luster. Caucasian male, late twenties to mid thirties, about five seven to five nine, wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled up and large, round sunglasses. There are thousands, if not millions of men… and some women who look like this in the city alone." She shrugged.

"We still need to check out this Chester character to see if he fits the description too, but otherwise, Bones, we've got nothing on that front." Booth said, tucking his note cards into his lapel pocket along with his pen. Angela laughed under her breath, but was caught by Booth, "What are you laughing at?" he asked.

Angela started to walk out the door of the flower shop as she answered, "Come on, Booth. Since when does a guy sending a bouquet of a dozen red roses equate to a serial killer?"

Brennan stopped outside of Booth's passenger door and turned to the both of them, "Many serial killers have a history of stalking their victims beforehand, Angela." She said.

Angela rolled her eyes and Booth stepped in to explain, "What Angela is trying to say is that it is never that easy. It's never the first guy you suspect, It's always the one that you don't suspect."

Brennan nodded her head, "I suppose you're correct." She said, patting her stomach, "I'm hungry." She said looking up at Booth.

Booth smiled and opened the passenger door for her and she glared at him, "I'm certainly capable of opening my own door, Booth." She said.

Angela sighed, attracting the attention of them both, "Accept it sweetie. Chivalry is an endangered species."

Brennan climbed into the vehicle, accepting the kindness but not happily and Booth closed the door for her. He turned back to Angela, who winked at him and then abruptly turned and walked to his side and got in.

**Thursday the 14****th****: 3:32 pm; The Jeffersonian Institute Medico Legal Lab**

When Booth and Brennan walked into the Jeffersonian, they came upon a site that was slightly unnerving. Hodgins was sitting on the platform with a disassembled computer surrounding him. Brennan immediately swiped her card and walked up the platform stairs followed by Booth, "What happened?" Brennan asked, gesturing to the parts and pieces strewn across the floor and some on the table where the computer once sat.

"Looks like you blew it up." Booth commented.

Hodgins sighed and put down the screw driver that he was holding, "I was loading the necessary documents from the pentagon system when the computer crashed. Turns out, the motherboard blew."

Brennan looked at Hodgins in disbelief, "How is that even possible?" she asked.

Hodgins shrugged, "I'm not the computer guy; that was always Zack's area of expertise. I'm thinking, however, that it has something to do with the files that I was downloading. I mean, a file can't fry a motherboard; that's not regulation hacker protocol when protecting information." He laughed, "This was obviously set up so that if someone from and outside source gained access to their system that it would send out an electrical impulse to that computer and fry it internally as to prevent any further invasion."

Booth shook his head, "Or, you just crashed the computer and want to blame it all on the government, as usual. Listen, Hodgins, I appreciate you trying to help me, but quit hacking or I will arrest you." He said.

Hodgins held his hands up in surrender. Brennan crossed her arms and looked at the computer pieces, "Where is Cam?" she asked pointedly to Hodgins.

"She had a doctor's appointment today and just stayed home." He explained.

Brennan nodded and shifted one of the pieces with the toe of her shoe, "Clean this up and just put in a request for a new computer. This is a waste of time and we have a body on the platform, so this really is… unacceptable."

Hodgins nodded and began scooping up parts as Brennan and Booth left the platform. Brennan and Booth began walking to her office when Booth stopped suddenly. Brennan turned for face him questioningly, "What's wrong?" she asked.

Booth sighed, "I should probably go back to my office. I've barely spent any time there and the paperwork is probably starting to pile up." He explained.

Brennan stared at him for a moment before giving a short nod, "Okay."

Booth exacted her nod and swallowed, "Okay."

They stared at one another for a moment before Brennan awkwardly turned and walked into her office. Booth watched her go and then turned and left the Jeffersonian.

Fifteen minutes later, Angela walked into Brennan's office and found her sitting in her desk chair, chewing on the cap of her pen and staring into space, "If you're hungry, I'm sure you could find a better tasting alternative." She said, lazily making her way to the chair in front of Brennan's desk and taking a seat.

Brennan snapped out of her haze and sat up straighter in her chair, tossing the pen down onto an open case file, "What did you say?" she asked.

Angela laughed, "What is going on with you?" she asked, with a hint of humor in her tone.

"I'm sorry." She said, closing the case file and resting her head in her hands, "I've never felt like this before, Ange."

Angela tilted her head to the side, in concern for her best friend, "What are you feeling?"

Brennan sighed, "I feel… morose. It's irrational, but it's almost as though… I feel like… impending doom." She said, shaking her head at her own words.

Angela half smiled, "You feel like it's the calm before the storm?" she asked.

"Metaphorically speaking, yes." Brennan replied.

Angela shifted in her seat and leaned on the front of Brennan's desk, "What specifically is bothering you?" she asked, "Is this about Booth?"

Brennan pursed her lips and then dropped her head. This whole experience was wearing her down. She was worried about Booth all of the time and it felt these past four days had taken a year to transpire and she knew that her concentration was split, "I'm worried." She said simply, "I know that it is useless to ruminate on one potential outcome when it's has yet to happen, but what are we going to do if this man who is contacting Booth genuinely has information. How is it going to affect him? What if this information is indeed life altering? What are we going to do? What is he going to do?"

"Sweetie." Angela said, placing her hand on top of one of Brennan's, "You're right. It is a little too soon to be focusing on the outcome when you don't even know what this guy has to say or even if he has something to say at all. Remember, we're still under the impression that this may just be the serial killer's way of distracting the both of you from the case. But to ease your mind a bit, I want to tell you that if this guy has this 'life altering information' concerning Booth's past, then you will be there for him and he will get through it. All he needs are the people that he loves to be there for him. You, Parker and well, he'll get me Hodgins and Cam whether he likes it or not." She smiled, "We're all in this together. One person's loss is all of our loss. That's something that we've all come to realize over the course of your partnership with Booth. He's the one who brought us all together and we're staying together come hell or high water. We all will help each other through it. But I don't think we need to worry about that yet, Bren." Angela smiled, "Feel better?" she asked.

Brennan took a deep breath and nodded, "Not completely, but yes."

Angela smiled and patted her hand, "Good." She said standing up.

"Wait Angela." Brennan said, "I was wondering, do you know anything about the occult?" she asked.

Angela looked at her in curiosity and sat back down, "Umm… why?" she asked, astonished.

Brennan got a sly smile on her face and leaned forward, "I was reading this magazine," she said, handing Angela the magazine across the desk, "that I acquired from Jennifer Morris' apartment. There is a whole article on the history of séances. The people who publish this magazine disregard it and highly disapprove of the use of both a séance and the spirit board. After reading the article I looked up both games online and have since become intrigued by the spirit board and would like to try it." She said.

"But you don't believe in the afterlife." Angela replied, flipping through the magazine.

Brennan nodded, "Exactly." She said, "But it's a part of American preadolescent and teenage culture and I thought that I should perhaps attempt to find the draw by using one myself."

Angela shrugged, "I've done it a few times." She said, "Utterly creepy experiences." She smiled.

Brennan raised an eyebrow at her, "It's nothing more than either one of the players moving the planchette or small spasms in each of the players hands that cause the planchette to move." She explained.

Angela shrugged, "Alright, fine. If you want to do it, than I will. At least you'll be able to explain away all of my irrational fears." She said, semi-sarcastically, but Brennan didn't pick up on it. Angela stood and tossed the magazine back on Brennan's desk and began walking out of the office.

"Great. I'll buy a board tonight before I go home. Meet me at my apartment at seven?" she asked.

Angela turned back to Brennan and nodded, "Sure sweetie."

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	15. Thursday the 14th: 6:58 pm

**Hey guys! Here is the next chapter!**

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**Thursday the 14****th****: 6:58 pm; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Angela Montenegro used her own key to gain entrance to Temperance Brennan's apartment, "Sweetie!" she called, "I'm here for the ghoulie gala."

Temperance briskly walked down the hallway from her bedroom, running a towel over her wet hair, "Hey Ange." She said, tossing the towel into her laundry room, "Do you want anything to drink?" she asked.

Angela walked to the couch and put her bag down, "Wine?" she asked.

Brennan nodded and made her way into the kitchen and grabbed an unopened bottle, popped it and poured two glasses. She made her way back out to where Angela was an stopped. Angela was looking at the unopened box sitting on the coffee table, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Is this it?" she asked.

Brennan nodded and handed her glass to her, "Yes. Why? You look… skeptical."

Angela smiled, "Bren, if you think that this is how teens use the oujia board, then you are sadly mistaken." She said, gesturing to the two chairs pulled up along side the coffee table and the board laid out on top of the coffee table.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Ambiance, Bren. Get all of the candles you have in the house and bring them over here." She said, picking up the throw blanket and spreading it out on the hard wood floor. Next, she laid the board in the middle and tossed the planchette on top of it and took another sip of wine before settling herself on the blanket and waiting for her friend to return.

Brennan returned a moment later with five eco-friendly lavender scented candles in her arms. Angela took them from her and placed them in a circle around the blanket and the lit them with a lighter that Brennan had retrieved from her kitchen, "Turn the lights off, sweetie." She said, lighting the last candle.

Brennan turned off all of the lights in the apartment and walked back over to where Angela had set up the ouija board, "I don't understand the purpose of this." She stated.

Angela crossed her legs "Indian Style" and looked up at her friend, "If you're really interested in knowing what draws kids to this kind of thing, then you need to do it the way they do it." She explained. Angela knew that Brennan's interest in the supernatural and the occult had nothing to do with research. There were numerous reasons that she could come up with that she could see would draw Brennan to such an out of character act. The one she had been in most agreement with was that Booth was a mystery to Brennan and she wanted to know why he would have such an "irrational belief" in life after death, but if Sweets had gotten wind of this, she was sure that he would boil it down to something like she was looking for guidance in a very unlikely way. Angela laughed at the thought of Brennan using the supernatural before going to Sweets for help and gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of the board.

Brennan stuck her hands on the planchette and looked at Angela expectantly, "Well?" she said impatiently.

Angela smiled, "Sweetie, calm down. I thought you didn't believe in this kind of stuff."

"Exactly." She said shrugging, "Which is why I want to get this over with. I want to experience it and make my observations and maybe write a chapter for my book or go out and that's it." She said unconvincingly.

Angela raised an eyebrow at that comment and shook her head, "Okay, whatever, sweetie. Just, relax and put one hand on the planchette, okay?"

Brennan nodded and did as she was told. Angela closed her eyes and took a meditative breath and Brennan copied her actions. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Angela becoming slightly annoyed by Brennan's obvious impatience. After a final soothing breath, Angela spoke, "Is there anyone with us?" she asked.

Brennan rolled her eyes behind their lids and waited. The planchette started moving and both women opened their eyes to see it moving towards the "yes" picture. Angela smiled and looked up at Brennan who appeared to be less than excited about the occurrence, "I told you that it's just…" she started, but the planchette began moving again back to the center of the board.

Angela looked at Brennan and then spoke again, "Who are we speaking to?" she asked.

Both women watched as the planchette moved around the board occasionally stopping on letters. When it stopped moving Brennan looked at her friend, "That's not funny Angela." She said.

Angela looked at her friend innocently, "I swear to God, Bren. I didn't do it."

"Angela!" she said accusingly.

"I didn't do it, Bren. I would never do something like that."

"Then why did it spell out my mother's name?" she asked.

Angela shook her head and took her hands off of the planchette, "I have no idea Temperance, but I would never do that to you. You know it!"

Brennan scoffed and shook her head, "Fine. Let's just keep going." She said angrily.

Angela reluctantly put her hands back on the planchette and Brennan took the lead, "If you're my mother, then tell me something that only you and I know." She said, eyeing up Angela.

As the planchette started to move again, Brennan became annoyed. She couldn't imagine that her best friend would do something like that but it was the only logical option. There was no such thing as the afterlife, the whole point of doing this, in her mind was not only find the draw to the supernatural, but she also felt that she and Angela hadn't been spending much time together. With Angela's whirlwind love life and break up with Hodgins, then Roxy and with her career and spending so much time with Booth, she just wanted to take some time to be with her friend and perhaps have some down time to talk about and sort out everything that had happened. Now, she found herself more upset rather than relaxed.

Angela looked at Brennan and regained her attention, "What does that mean?" she asked.

Brennan shook her head, "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts, what did it say?" she asked.

"It said, 'Bring Lila Home'. Who is Lila, sweetie?" she asked.

Brennan's eyes widened and she stood up and back away from the board, "That's impossible."

Angela stood up and moved towards her friend, but Brennan turned around and turned on the lights. Angela took another step towards her, "Are you okay?" she asked, clearly concerned for her friend, "You're as pale as a ghost."

"Did Booth tell you that?" she asked.

Angela shook her head, "Tell me what?" she asked forcefully.

Brennan ran her hands through her hair and sighed, "Nevermind. There is no way you would know about that." She said. Then her cell phone rang. Brennan ran over to her phone on the coffee table and answered, "Brennan."

As Brennan was on the phone, Angela began blowing out the candles and cleaning everything up. She folded the blanket and put it on the back of the couch, placed the candles on the counter top and folded up the board and that and the planchette back into it's box.

When Brennan hung up, she tossed her phone onto the couch and wiped her hand down her face, "That was Booth. The Judge signed the exhumation order. The bodies will be in the lab in about five hours."

Angela nodded and waited for a moment before speaking, "I'm sorry, Bren. I've never had that thing actually work before. It's usually just, ya know, fun to be scared in the dark. I swear I wasn't moving it."

Brennan smiled tiredly, "It's okay Angela. I know that it wasn't you. I know you wouldn't do that to me."  
"I should go, sweetie. The Angelator is still spacing out and I need to get it fixed tomorrow morning so that we can run scenarios on it with all of the victims." She said gathering her things and walking to the door.

"Thanks Angela." She said.

"What for?"

Brennan shrugged, "For aiding me in my ridiculous observations?" she said, almost laughing.

Angela smiled widely, "Anytime Sweetie. I happen to like it when you're irrational and spontaneous." She said, opening the door, "Now get some sleep. I don't want to see you at the lab any earlier than five am. Got it?"

Brennan nodded, "Sure."

**Friday the 15****th****: 5:32 am; The Jeffersonian Institute Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan was examining the body of the fourth victim, identified as Amelia Lowenberg. She had been there since four am; she knew that Angela would probably know, but didn't really care. After last night, although she wouldn't let anyone know, she was thoroughly unnerved by her experience with the ouija board. So much so that she immediately dragged the box down to the dumpster outside of her building and tossed it inside before attempting to get some sleep.

All of the victims had similar injuries. All were strangled with a piece of material; on Jennifer Morris' body, Hodgins had deduced that it was nylon, which was congruent with the style of stocking that each of the victims had been wearing, and was found discarded somewhere near the body. However, on the alleged first victim of the killer, who was Identified as eighteen year old Sandra Cassidy, the killer had to try two times to strangle the girl and the marks that Brennan could see from the original crime scene photos appeared to be from holding the scarf around her neck and straight back, where as in more recent bruises, it shows the killer crossing the scarf behind the head for more leverage. The first victim also had extensive bruising on her occipital that had been overlooked in the original examination of the body.

"Knock knock." A voice said, taking her attention away from her thoughts.

Brennan turned and smiled when she saw Booth standing at the bottom of the platform with two cups of coffee in his hands, "Good Morning." She said, removing her gloves and tossing them into the nearby trash can. She slowly walked down the steps to meet him and extended her hand for her cup.

Booth handed one over and smiled, "I would have been here earlier but I value my sleeping time."

Brennan laughed, "It's okay. I'm not technically supposed to be here according to Angela anyway." She shrugged and they both began walking to her office.

"So what do you think Bones?" he asked.

"About the remains?" she asked.

Booth nodded while taking a sip, "Yeah."

"Scientifically, of the remains I've examined so far, I'd say that this is the same murderer and I'm sure that Sweets will agree. The pattern of bruising appears to be of the same pressure on each body, which we will of course have to wait for Angela to fix the Angelator and make some scenarios."

Booth shook his head and took a seat on the couch, "I still can't believe that no one has ever figured out that these cases are all from the same killer. I mean, the one, Jessica Hatcher even had an arrest and conviction."

"Well, that's what makes you such a special special agent." Brennan smiled.

Booth laughed, "That was a good one, Bones. I'm proud of you."

Brennan laughed, and pulled her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had a text message. She hit okay and read it, "Hodgins just sent me a message. He says he was able to retrieve some information from the hard drive from before the computer crashed."

Booth stood up immediately and walked to her to look at the message, "How could he get anything from all of those pieces?"

"Listen Booth. He says the only thing that he got off of it was a document title. The countrymen."

"Countrymen?" Booth said, raising an eyebrow.

Brennan exited out of the message and turned to Booth, "Have you ever heard of that?" he asked.

"I've heard the word." He shrugged.

Brennan crossed her arms and sighed, "I'll ask Hodgins more when he comes in."

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**Review Please!**


	16. May 15th: 10:32 am

**I'm so excited about all of the reviews I received with the last chapter! As a reward, there will be ANOTHER chapter posted later tonight!!!! And its going to be fluffy. A fun filled day with Booth Brennan and PARKER!!!!!!!!!!!**

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**May 15****th****: 10:32 am; Connecticut Heights Apartments**

"I just don't understand why you want me to come with you! My time today would be better spent examining the remains of our newly acquired victims. I have no purpose here, Booth." Brennan complained as they parked the car on side of Connecticut Avenue.

"You always have a purpose, Bones." He said endearingly, "At least with me." He said, looking over at her with a beyond charming smile.

Brennan glared at him, "If you want to solve this case, then you should have left me at the lab instead of dragging me out." She argued, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Yeah." Booth said sarcastically, "And if you had eaten this morning before you dragged yourself into work at that un-Godly hour, I wouldn't have needed to pull you from the lab in the first place."

Brennan scoffed, "I did eat." She said softly.

"Breakfast bars don't count." He said putting the car in park and turning off the ignition. As they both unbuckled their seatbelts and climbed out of the car, Booth's cell phone began ringing. He picked it up and both he and Brennan stopped on the curb, "Booth." He answered. He sighed and ran his hand over his face, "How did you get this number?" he asked, clearly annoyed. He began pacing back and forth as he spoke, "Listen, this phone, during business hours is for work and emergencies only. If you have something to say, you come to me in person. You don't call my phone and tie up my time while I'm trying to find the answers that you're looking for. Have a nice day." He said, angrily snapping the phone shut.

"Who was that?" Brennan asked.

Booth sighed and put his phone in his pocket, "Some reporter got a hold of my cell phone number and wants and inside scoop on the case." He said shaking his head, "They're like goddamn vultures, I swear."

He placed his hand on her lower back and guided her inside the apartment building up to Charles Chester's floor. When they reached the door, Booth knocked loudly and placed his hands on his hips, awaiting the man whom he wished had a signed confession for them ready, although he knew better.

A moment later, the door opened to the extent of the chain lock that he had still latched on the door, "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth and my partner Doctor Temperance Brennan." He said, customarily flashing his badge, "We'd like to speak to you about Jennifer Morris."

The man nodded and closed the door and unlocked the chain latch and let them in, "I hope I can help you out. I don't really know much about her other than what little I know from my brief encounters with her in the hall."

Brennan and Booth followed him into the apartment and looked at each other in response to his comment. Charlie offered them a seat in the living room which they both accepted. Charlie sat across the coffee table from them and leaned forwards towards them and rested his elbows on his knees. Booth looked at the man and observed that he was a relatively attractive guy, but a little nerdy; probably too nerdy for someone like Jennifer to hang around with, "Tell me then Charlie, why you sent her a bouquet of roses." Booth smiled.

Charlie laughed uncomfortably and shifted his sitting position. He leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms and shrugged, "She took my laundry out of the dryer and brought it up to me once when I got stuck on a phone call with my mother's physician."

Booth smiled and leaned forwards, "Roses aren't a thank you, Charlie. I think that you know that already. Besides, if it was a 'thank you', where was the 'thank you' card?"

Charlie let out a deep breath and looked away, "Okay fine, I sent her the flowers because, I like her… liked her." He corrected with sadness in his voice, "What's the crime here?"

Booth took a folded sheet of paper from his suit jacket and unfolded it, "You go clubbing a lot, Charlie?" he asked.

Charlie looked at the Agent, completely confused by his intent, "What about it?" he asked.

"We've discovered that the person who killed Jennifer, most likely killed seven other women as well, and you Charlie, have charges on your credit history going as far back as ten years ago from a club called 'Chromosome' which is ironically the same club that three of the victims were seen at in the days before their disappearance and subsequent death."

Charlie shrugged and raised his eyebrows, "I still don't know why that matters." He said.

Booth laid the paper down on the coffee table and pointed at three highlight charges, "You were there each time that they were." He said.

Charlie nodded, "Yes, I was. But did you happen to look at any of the other charges, Agent Booth? Because I was at plenty of bars ten years ago; probably every one in D.C. every night. The door is back that way and before you leave, I think you should congratulate me on one year sober this coming Thursday." He said defensively.

Booth sighed and looked over at Brennan who merely shrugged her shoulders and stood to leave. Booth reluctantly got up off of the couch and ushered her out, but before closing the door, he turned to Charlie, "I'm just doing my job, man. But, congratulations… really." He said in earnest.

Charlie smiled and nodded, "Thank you, I understand."

**May 15****th****: 1:09 pm; The Medico Legal Lab at the Jeffersonian Institute**

When Brennan and Booth arrived back at the lab after a hearty lunch at the diner, they found Wendell Bray awaiting their return. When they walked through the sliding glass doors, Wendell immediately ran down the platform steps and greeted them, "Doctor Brennan." He said sounding relieved.

"Mr. Bray?" she said, wondering what caused his erratic behavior.

"I have something to show you." He said gesturing to the platform. Considering there was potential evidence in hand, both Brennan and Booth reached to swipe their cards at the same time and knocked each others hand out of the way. Booth beat Brennan the second time around and all three of them ran up the stairs and Wendell led them over to the microscope, "Okay," he said, looking through the lens to get the proper magnification, "I had finished with my own preliminary examinations of the bodies and decided to take a look over the evidence that was collected by the original techs at the scene. This piece of evidence, according to the report from the scene, has not been touch by human hands. It was removed from the victim's mouth using tweezers and immediately bagged and examined thought the plastic without being removed." He relayed to them.

Brennan nodded, but Booth seemed to be bored, "Bray, tell us what you got already." He said, impatiently but good-naturedly.

Wendell smiled and moved out of the way so that Brennan could take a look. She studied the object before looking up at her assistant and smiling, "This is very good work Wendell."

Wendell smiled and Booth became more annoyed, "What is it already?" he asked.

Brennan looked at Booth and rolled her eyes at his childish behavior, "This is one of the pieces of soap that was stuffed inside each victim's mouth." She explained.

Wendell interjected, "This particular one comes from victim five, identified as Kristin Rath."

Brennan continued, "While the object had been examined they seemed to have missed this large indentation left by the killer's fingernail. This is why I want to be at every crime scene handled by the FBI on our cases."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I get it. The FBI has shotty forensics people, got it." He said shaking his head, "So this means we can match the killer's finger nail curve when we catch him?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "That and we can have Cam see if there was any DNA left behind." She smiled.

Booth smiled back at both of his squints, "Oh, you know how much I love DNA, Bones."

"I do, indeed." She responded, stepping away from the microscope to let Wendell deal with the evidence, "Make sure you get that to Dr. Soroyan." She instructed.

Wendell nodded and began packing the piece of evidence back up as Booth and Brennan left the platform to go back to her office. As they entered, Brennan shrugged off her jacket and carried her purse over to her desk, "I'll let you know when Cam expects to get results later today." She said.

Booth nodded, "Great."

Brennan sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. She looked over at Booth and wondered whether he was going to stay or leave and at that moment, he was wondering the same thing, "Well…" he said anticlimactically, half turning to face the door, "I guess I'll see you later." He said, turning fully to the door and slowly walking out.

Brennan smiled as she watched him leave and then dug out her journal to write down some thoughts before they escaped her.


	17. Saturday 16th, 2009: 9:21 am

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This is the "THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS!" Chapter that I promised you.

Mostly fluff because thank you's should always be sweet.

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**Saturday 16****th****, 2009: 9:21 am; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

It was the latest she had slept in a long time, and she felt rested because of it. If there was anything that she needed it was most definitely a good and long night of restful sleep and she had obtained it. She stretched her back as she stood in the kitchen, waiting for her water to boil for coffee. Her large apartment echoed silence all around her and it made her feel that much more alone.

The feeling of utter solitude had been bothering her for a while now. More than anything she wanted to feel life other than her own around her; sounds of someone else laughing, breathing and existing alongside of her. The sound of the whining kettle recaptured her attention and she turned off the burner and poured herself a cup of instant coffee.

She took a sip and walked into the living room where she turned on her lap top and waited for it to load up before opening up the document that she wrote her latest chapter in. She was ahead of schedule on her chapters, so when she couldn't bring herself to focus on editing and producing new material, she simply closed out of the document and decided to take a shower instead.

The situation with the ouija board, while still unsettling had gotten her thinking about taking in Lila much more. There was a plethora of good reasons to take her into her care and only a few reasons not to. The main problem that she could foresee was her dedication to her work. While she understood that a child's needs would come before anything else, and she couldn't see giving up her career every single time there was a day off of school or every time the child became ill. If she were really going to take responsibility for another life, then she would need someone to help her do it, and Booth, being same person who tried to convince her of taking Lila in, in the first place was the perfect candidate. Not only was he an excellent father figure but he was also the one person, one man specifically, in her life whom she trusted without question. And that was another issue entirely on it's own.

She found that as she had been wishing to have someone by her side more often, she also found that this feeling went away whenever she was with him, even more now than before the mysterious gift giver had come along. While in the back of her mind she knew exactly why that was, she consciously chose to ignore the feeling and continue to compartmentalize her way out of it. Their jobs were important, and now that their case was beginning to look promising, she knew that this was no time to get caught up in even more drama than necessary. _Perhaps,_ she thought to herself, _after we've solved the case and after this mess with Booth is done than I will take time fully negate these irrational feelings._ But then there was the ever present nagging feeling that came along with those thoughts, the one that made her feel like negating it would be an even bigger hassle than she needed to deal with; or wanted to, for that matter. For today though, she was going to give in to her desire to be near him.

After drying off from the shower and changing into an uncharacteristic summer dress which she felt particularly drawn to wearing today and pulled her hair up into a pony tail; after checking her appearance in the mirror, she gathered her things to go out. When she reached her desired destination, she hoped out of her car and climbed the stairs to the apartment that she had recently come to know better. She knocked briskly on the door and waited for a response. When there was no answer in an appropriate amount of time, she knocked again and was met with a groggy, "I'm coming!"

The door swung open to reveal a shirtless and sleepy looking Booth whose eyes widened at the sight of her in a dress, "Wow. Look at you! You look great." He said, smiling dreamily and resting his head on the door frame.

Brennan smiled, "What are you doing today?" she asked. Booth turned and looked into his apartment and then back at her. Her heart immediately fell when she realized the underlying context of his body language. She took a step back and her smile faded from her face, "Oh." She said simply and then shook her head, feeling like and idiot, "I'm sorry. I didn't even think… I'll go." She said turning to leave.

Before she could get too far, Booth grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him. She hadn't been prepared for it and so she accidentally slammed into his bare chest. A shock of excitement went up her spine and she immediately stepped backwards and looked at him with wide eyes. Booth laughed and pulled her into his apartment, "It's not what you think, Bones." He said.

Brennan sighed and closed her eyes, dreading meeting one of his new conquests and then she mentally smacked herself, thinking that she shouldn't be talking about parading around conquests when she has been guilty of it too. When they reached the living room, Booth pointed to the couch where a very soundly asleep Parker was sprawled out in Scooby-doo pajama's with a hand knitted blanket practically kicked onto the floor; one corner was still hanging on to his leg.

Brennan put her hand over her mouth to hold back laughter and Booth smiled proudly until Brennan smacked him on the arm, "Ow! What was that for?" he whispered loudly.

"Why is he asleep on the couch?" she asked angrily.

Booth laughed, "I put him to bed last night in his own bed, Bones. Then I wake up this morning and find him like this." He says, gesturing to the sight in front of them, "It's not my fault." He stated.

Brennan laughed quietly, "Like father like son." She laughed, "What are you boys going to do today?" she asked again, but rephrased for Parker's benefit.

Booth shrugged, picking up a dirty t-shirt from his laundry basket and putting it on, "I don't know. We hadn't really decided yet, why?" he asked.

"Well, I originally came here to see if you wanted to chill." She said, in a strained and overly conscious way. When she received Booth's nod of approval, she continued, "But now I'm thinking that maybe you two would like to Busch Gardens. My treat." She said excitedly.

Booth shook his head in disbelief, "How do you even know what Busch Gardens is?" he asked.

Brennan laughed, "I knew a structural engineer in undergrad who wanted to design roller coasters and he took me there and to a few others. It's very exhilarating; roller coasters I mean." She explained.

Booth smiled widely, "Bones, that is a great idea. But I'm splitting the cost with you." He said.

"No!" Brennan almost yelled, "I want to do this. It's a gift." She insisted.

"That's not fair to you though." He argued.

Brennan huffed, "I'll decide what is fair to me and what isn't. End of discussion." She said, her eyes wide and final.

Booth sighed, "Alright, you win. But let me at least pay for the food inside the park okay?" he pleaded.

Brennan nodded, "I suppose that is fair."

Booth smiled, "Okay, let me take a shower before he wakes up then. He'll get really antsy if we don't leave once he's ready."

Booth scurried off to his bedroom and Brennan decided to make breakfast for the both of them. She went into the kitchen and found the ingredients for waffles and an iron press and began cooking. By the time that Booth was done in the shower, there was a large breakfast awaiting him and Parker was sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for his father so they could start eating, "What is all of this?" Booth asked.

Brennan shrugged, "I was bored." She said, drizzling strawberry syrup over the stack of waffles she had split up for each of them. Her own stack was half the size of theirs and covered with yogurt rather than syrup, which she explained to Parker was actually healthier to eat, but he refused to believe it, much like his father.

After they hard started eating, Parker turned to his father with a syrup covered face, "Why is Bones here Dad?" he asked.

Booth took his napkin and began wiping off his son's face while answering, "Bones has a surprise for you." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

Parker looked at Bones, "You do?" he asked, excitedly.

Brennan nodded and put a piece of waffle into her mouth, withholding the surprise and laughing when his eyes became bigger and more strained with impatience. She swallowed, fearing that if she withheld the surprise any longer poor boy might explode, "Do you want to go to Busch Gardens today, Parker?" She asked.

Parker gasped and looked at his Dad for confirmation, who just smiled at him, "What!" he said excitedly, "Really?" he said, looking back and forth between his father and Bones. Brennan nodded her head in confirmation and smiled genuinely at Booth who looked elated that his son was so happy, "YES!" Parker shouted, nearly knocking over his glass of milk in the process.

All Booth had planned was a trip to the movies and maybe a pizza dinner, which was always a winning night in Parker's eyes. But Brennan, who had always been convinced that she didn't understand children, most likely because her she had to grow up so early in her life, had just made his son's day. He didn't think it was possible to admire her any more.

**May 16****th ****, 2009: 12:00 pm; Busch Gardens Amusement Park**

After an hour drive to the park, in which Parker barely stopped bouncing up and down and saying, 'Are we there yet?', Booth, Brennan and Parker ran to the somewhat small line that led into the park. While Parker was impatient in line, it moved relatively quickly and soon they were inside the park, trying to figure out which ride to go on first.

They went on 'The Lockness Monster' and 'Corkscrew Hill' before intentionally ignoring the sign as they passed 'Castle O'Sullivan's' then heading over to ride 'Griffon' before deciding to eat something at Bistro 205.

After ordering and eating their food, Brennan and Booth sat at the table watching Parker make new friends with another little boy who was at the park with his parents, "Are you having fun?" Booth asked, leaning toward her.

Brennan took a sip of her soda and swallowed before giving him a genuine smile, "I'm having a lot fun. And yourself?" she asked.

Booth laughed, "I love seeing Parks so happy. He's been begging me to take him here ever since he made the cut off for 'the big boy rides'." He laughed, "And he really loves having you around."

Brennan smiled and looked over at the little boy who was chasing the other young boy around, presumably playing tag. Brennan smiled and looked at Booth, "He's such a good kid, Booth. You and Rebecca have done a wonderful job."

Booth smiled, "So far. But there is still a long way to go."

Brennan smiled, "I want to ask you something." She said, diverting her eyes to her now empty plate.

Booth turned towards her, feeling something heavy coming, "What is it Bones?"

Brennan sighed and looked over at Parker again, "Hypothetically speaking…" she started.

Booth laughed, "Hypothetically… okay, hold on let me get in to a hypothetical state of mind." He said, closing his eyes and bringing his pointer finger to his temples. Brennan stared at him for a moment in complete bewilderment before he opened his eyes again and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

Brennan shook her head in confusion, "What?"

Booth laughed, "Never mind, Bones. Continue."

Brennan shifted in his seat, "Hypothetically, If I were to take in a foster child and petition to adopt, would you be willing to…" Brennan dropped her head into her hands.

Booth put his hand on her arm, "Come on Bones. Spit it out."

Brennan looked at him out of her peripheral vision, too nervous to look at him dead on, "Share custody?" she finished.

Booth smiled widely, "Really?" he asked.

Brennan looked at him in surprise, "Is that a yes?" she asked.

Booth was silent for a moment as he studied her face, "I think that if it's something that you want to do; If you're seriously considering adopting Lila, then I will be there one hundred percent of the way."

"So… that's a yes?" she asked again.

Booth laughed, "Yes, that's a yes." He said putting his arm around her shoulders and hugging her to his side, "So what do we do now?" he asked.

"Well, first we have to contact Sarah and get into the foster to adopt program. You'll probably have to be interviewed on a count of the fact that you aren't a registered foster parent. Then we will take custody of her as foster parents and then after a set amount of time we will be able to adopt her."

"This Monday then," he said, keeping his arm around her, "we'll get the ball rolling then, okay?"

Brennan nodded and looked back over to where Parker and the other boy were now looking through a book that the other boy had gotten at the Wild Reserve gift shop and the way that his eyes lit up, they both knew where they would be heading next.

**May 16****th ****, 2009: 12:00 pm; Busch Gardens Jack Hanna's Wild Reserve**

Parker was ecstatic to see all of the animals in the reserve. There were owls and eagles and wolves and Parker was excited to learn all about them from Bones. She would kneel down to his level and point things out without condescension and he was completely enraptured by both the animals and by her. Booth stood off to the side for the most part, taking pictures with the camera that Brennan had handed off to him and listening to the way that his partner spoke to his son; answering all of his questions and paying attention to his pronunciation of big words and encouraging him to learn about the habits and rituals of the animals that he was observing.

By the time they had reached the cage that housed the gray wolves, Parker was becoming sluggish and grasping Brennan's hand as they strolled along the outskirts of the cage. Booth spotted a cart of cotton candy and other sorts of sugar treats, "I'm gonna get him a snack." He told her and took off.

Brennan and Parker stopped at the edge and Parker looked through the steel, "I can't see, Bones." He said sadly.

Brennan looked down at him and realized that he did indeed have an obstructed view of the wolves. Without hesitation, she bent down and hoisted him up onto her hip. He was heavier than she had anticipated, but she knew that she could handle it as long as she didn't have to walk anywhere, "Did you have fun today?" she asked, looking into his eyes which were so much like Booth's that it startled her.

He leaned his head on her shoulder and nodded his head, "Thanks for taking me here, Bones."

"It was my pleasure, Parker." She said, smiling at the boy whose gaze was focused on the gray wolf that was nearest to the fence.

"You look really pretty today too." He commented.

Brennan laughed, "Thank you, Parker. That's very nice of you to say."

"But it's not just being nice, Bones. It's true." He said picking up his head and looking at her, "And my Daddy thinks so too!"

Brennan's eyes widened, "Oh yeah?" she said, astonished by the boy's frankness, "How do you know that?" she asked.

Parker looked past her and then back at her. Brennan hesitated before turning around to see Booth stopped about halfway down the pathway on his way back, a bag of cotton candy in his hand and a goofy smile on his face. Brennan raised her hand to her forehead to block out the sun and hoisting Parker up higher on her hip. She smiled at him and blushed, seeing what Parker was talking about, but not sure that he was correct in his analysis.

Booth had been coming back from the stand when he saw his Bones, his pretty and indestructible Bones in her feminine yellow summer dress with his son sitting on her hip. He stopped for a moment to look at the two of them together and quickly pulled the digital camera out of his pocket and took a picture. The moment he hit the button, she turned suddenly and looked over at him. The picture took automatically, and he was thankful, because he wasn't sure that there was any brain function left at that point. She was gorgeous and her maternal instincts really became her. She took his breath away. It didn't surprise him though, because she tended to do that every single day without intent.


	18. May 16th , 2009: 7:13 pm

**Here is the next chapter. It's pretty short, but good.**

**Thanks for reading.**

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**May 16****th ****, 2009: 7:13 pm; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

When they arrived back home, Parker was sound asleep. Brennan unlocked the door to his apartment as Booth hoisted Parker gently, higher into his arms for better grip. She let him enter the apartment first and followed behind him, locking the deadbolt behind her and turned on the lights that Booth obviously could not because of the fragile cargo he was handling.

"Be right back." He whispered, and then disappeared into Parker's dark room.

Brennan tossed her purse and handful of various memorabilia and prizes that Booth or Parker had won throughout the day onto the coffee table and shrugged off the light coat that Booth had given her to wear to fend off the increasing night chill.

All in all, she had to admit that the day had gone spectacularly well. Although the idea to go to the amusement park had been spontaneous, she had genuinely enjoyed it and especially enjoyed the time that she had shared with Booth's son. She had, however, felt slightly guilty for impeding upon their father/son bonding time, but Booth had reassured her on the way home that there was nothing for her to feel guilty about.

She sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and turned on the television. She lazily searched through the channels and waited for Booth to resurface from his son's room.

Ten minutes into a documentary about "How the World Began" on the discovery channel, Booth crept out of his son's room and closed the door gently behind him. He was so quiet, in fact, that Brennan hadn't even noticed him. He stopped and watched her for a moment; leaning on the armrest, her head resting on her slender hand, her legs tucked up on the couch next to her and the yellow sundress that he hadn't ever imagined she owned much less actually wear billowing around her small frame. If he didn't know any better, he would have believed it was a completely different women lounging in his living room.

After a moment, Brennan could feel him nearby and looked up from the program and smiled. He returned her smile widely and pushed himself up off of the wall on which he leaned, "Ya know." He said, walking over to her, "You look good in a dress."

Brennan laughed, "Like a housewife?" she asked.

Booth winced at her words, "You do not look like a housewife, Bones." He said definitively, "Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "Any Iced Tea?" she asked.

Booth nodded and walked into the kitchen. A minute or two later, he emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of iced tea. He handed a glass to her and sat down on the couch next to her, "Did you ask Hodgins about that thing?" he asked.

"What thing?" she asked, then taking a sip from her glass and putting it down on the coffee table.

Booth rolled his eyes and placed his glass next to hers, "The countrymen?"

"Oh, yes." She answered, "He didn't know what it was. I'm sorry."

Booth sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs, "I hate this." He said softly.

Brennan planted her small feet on the floor next to his and placed her hand on his back, "I know."

"All of this waiting around…"

"I know that it bothers you a lot more than you've let on, Booth. It bothers me too." She shrugged.

Booth shook his head, "I just…" he said, then he looked into her eyes, "I'm scared, Bones." He finally admitted.

Brennan stared into his eyes and leaned forward to stretch her arms around his neck. He turned and grabbed her around her waist and hoisted her onto his lap and buried his head into her neck, where the scent of her hair completely intoxicated him. Brennan rested the side of her head on the top of his, and even though she was running the 'alpha male' speech inside of her head, she kept it there because he was genuinely scared of what would be coming for him, and she could see it in his eyes.

**May 17****h ****, 2009: 6:12 am; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

Brennan woke but didn't open her eyes. More than anything, she wanted to drift back off to sleep but her pillow refused to allow her to. She took in a slow and tired breath and raised her hand to her pillow and patted it down a bit and shifted herself to allow her neck to rest at a better angle.

"Did you just fluff me?" the soft voice of Seeley Booth whispered.

Brennan snorted a laugh and smiled, "Yeah."

"Daddy?" Parker asked.

Booth jolted himself up, knocking Brennan off of the couch in the process, "Parker!" Booth yelled, then looked down to see Brennan on the floor, "Bones!" Booth jumped off of the couch and helped Brennan back up, "Are you okay?" he asked.

Brennan held her head and sat back down on the couch, "Yeah. I'm fine."

Booth turned to look at Parker who was calmly sitting on the floor with a bowl of cereal sitting in front of him on the coffee table, "You're awake." Booth stated.

"Are you and Bones going out?" he asked.

Booth looked at Parker curiously, "We're not going anywhere, buddy, why?" he asked.

"No!" Parker giggled, "Are you 'going out'?" Parker said, with more emphasis on the words.

Brennan looked between Parker and Booth, "I don't understand."

Booth smiled, "Ah, no Parks, we aren't."

Parker's smiled faded slightly and he nodded and turned back to the television to watch cartoons. Brennan looked at Booth questioningly, "The question didn't change, Booth."

Booth rolled his eyes, "Don't worry about it, Bones." He said, walking into the kitchen.

Brennan stood up and put on her shoes and followed Booth into the kitchen. He was standing in front of the fridge and hunched over, "Want breakfast?"

Brennan thought for a moment, "Actually, I think I'm going to go home."

Booth straightened up and looked at her. He hesitated before asking, "Are you sure?" She nodded without saying anything. He smiled, "Aw, come on. I make the meanest omelets this side of the Mississippi."

Brennan raised an eyebrow and let her own cocky smile graze her lips, "Not nearly as good as mine."

Booth smiled and tossed an egg at her which she caught, "Wanna bet?"


	19. Monday 18h , 2009: 5:34 am

**Monday 18****h ****, 2009: 5:34 am; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan walked through the automatic doors of the Jeffersonian with an extra bounce in her step. It had been a long time since she had felt this way. She was unusually cheerful which she almost ashamedly admitted to herself was because of the time that she had spent with both Parker and Booth over the weekend. She had printed out the pictures from her digital camera earlier in the morning and couldn't help but look at them every few minutes.

When she reached her office door, she unlocked it and flipped on the lights, then tossed her bag down next to her desk and turned on her computer. One of the frames that was sitting at the corner of her desk had an old picture of herself and one of her favorite professors from her graduate school on a dig site in Argentina. She picked up the frame and looked at it fondly before flipping it over and removing the photo and storing it away in her desk drawer. She picked up the folder of pictures that she had in her bag and retrieved one that she liked the most and placed it in the frame and locked it securely inside before turning it over. They had gotten an employee of the park to take the picture for them and it was her absolute favorite. She had picked Parker up from behind and hugged him to her chest and Booth, in the moment of spontaneity, wrapped his arms around the both of them.

She gently placed the frame back on the corner of her desk and smiled lightly at its new found home. She turned back to her computer and opened her email when her cell phone rang and she knew that the feeling of happiness she had had this morning was about to end as she picked up, "Brennan."

"Bones, we've got another body."

**May 18****h ****, 2009: 7:08 am; The Lincoln Memorial**

"The body is here?" Brennan asked, completely astonished.

Booth looked over at her as he turned off the ignition, "I know. I can't believe it, and Cullen is pretty pissed about it too as well as every patriotic person in America, I'm sure. To desecrate a monument that was built in order to remember one of our nation's greatest presidents…" he shook his head in disbelief, "It's unforgivable." As Booth began getting out of the car, Brennan stayed put. Booth looked back into the vehicle to see her sitting still and staring at the monument, "What is it, Bones?" he asked.

"Booth, do you think…" she started, but Booth put a hand up to stop her.

"I don't know, Bones, but we can't think about me right now. There is a girl up those steps who needs you to listen to her… metaphorically speaking."

"But Booth, we need to keep in mind the fact that the person who has been contacting you and this murderer could be the same person. I think this is a fairly strong indication that theory is indeed correct." She pleaded.

"Or, it could just be that our serial killer knows that we're onto him and is feeling a little arrogant and invincible. All of his crime scenes are fairly unique and always display some sort of theatrics. This may just be him stepping up his game, Bones."

Brennan sighed, not willing to concede to his argument, but letting it go for the time being, "Okay." She said, popping open her door and getting out.

They walked up the stairs and met the crime scene tape. Booth held it up for her as she ducked underneath and he followed, "What do you know?" Booth asked, stepping up to the cop in charge of maintaining the scene.

"Tourists got up early this morning to get a look-see at the monument before they had to head back to Oregon. The vic was lying here, as is." He said gesturing to the body, "That was at about 4:30 this morning."

"Has anyone touched the remains?" Brennan asked, placing her bag down near the remains.

"Other than a few birds, nothing." The officer responded, "Quite frankly, ma'am, I don't know why anyone in this area would anymore, specially knowing that you'd be coming here to examine the body. Plus, she's kinda… gross." He hesitated.

"Well." Brennan started, kneeling down next to the body, "She's obviously been moved here. There is some dirt here that Hodgins will need to examine. I'd say that she is approximately twenty five to twenty eight years old, about five feet ten inches. From what's left of her hair, bottle blonde."

"Wow. Bottle blonde, Bones?" Booth asked with a silly grin on his face.

Brennan smirked at him, "I've heard you say that before… about Tessa I believe."

Booth feigned innocence, "I never said any such thing." He laughed.

Brennan shook her head and dropped her gaze once more to examine the body. Bored, as usual, Booth walked around the body lazily until he came upon something unusual, "Bones." He said, kneeling about four yards away from the body, "Come over here."

Brennan looked over to the area where Booth was and dropped her instruments and took off her gloves, "What is it, Booth?" she asked, walking over to the area that he was at.

Booth looked up with a smile on his face, "I found some potentially incriminating blood." He said, pointing to a teeny tiny pool of fresh blood on the pavement.

Brennan smiled and ran back to her kit and gathered up her swabs, "Do you really think this is his blood?" she asked, "It's a little inconsistent for our murderer to leave behind evidence of himself."

Booth shrugged, "Maybe I was right when I said he was getting cocky. It happens all the time Bones; they start killing, pile up some bodies and start believing that no one will catch them. And that is usually when they begin making mistakes."

"Okay." Brennan shrugged, "Don't get your hopes up though. This is a public area. I'll send the sample back to the lab for Cam to run the DNA on and see if we can get a hit." She said, packing the sample away in her bag and standing up again."

"I'm going with my gut on this one, Bones." Booth smiled, "You ready to go?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "Have the remains sent back to the lab for me." She said, swinging her bag onto her shoulder. As Booth went to talk to the FBI techs, Brennan exited the crime scene area and sat on the stairs that led up to the Lincoln Memorial.

She sat for a few minutes until someone sat down beside her. Expecting it to be Booth, she looked up but was shocked to see a woman clad in a dark suit and curly blonde hair, "Doctor Brennan?" the woman asked.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Brennan asked, sliding a little ways away from the woman.

"Veronica Vicks, DC Metro News. Could you answer some questions for me?" she asked.

Brennan shook her head, "No." Brennan stated firmly, "I've dealt with reporters before. You're going to turn my words around on me."

The reporter laughed, "I can assure you that that isn't my intent in the least. I'm just wondering why after gross incompetence of police forces in the past how yourself and Agent Booth came to realize that the string of murders were indeed connected."

Brennan glared at the reporter, "I'm not at liberty to answer any of your questions, Ms. Vicks."

"Oh come on, Doctor Brennan. You have your own mind, I know. What are you doing taking orders from a government institution that you don't even work for? Much less a man whose weakness is for uppity blondes." The reporter waggled her eyebrows at her.

Brennan stood up immediately, "You are a very unlikable woman."

Veronica stood, "That may be, Doctor Brennan, but I always get my story."

"Bones!" Booth called, seeing the two women together, "What is going on?" he asked, walking down the steps of the memorial.

" here is trying to troll information out of me and is not succeeding." Brennan said, glaring at the woman.

"Ms. Vicks?" Booth said looking at the woman appraisingly, "You're the one who called me on my cell phone."

Veronica stuck her hand out, "Special Agent Seeley Booth. It's a pleasure." She said, batting her eyes at him.

Booth smiled, "That isn't going to work on me."

The reporter held her smile, "Well it was worth a shot, right?" she lowered her hand and closed her small notebook, "I'll get the information I need regardless."

"Our team doesn't leak, Vicks. You'll get the scoop when the rest of the press does."

"We'll see." She smiled and began walking away, "It was nice to meet you both in person finally."

They watched the reporter walk back to her car before Booth finally turned to look at Brennan. He placed his hand on her back comfortingly, "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm not a feeble woman, Booth. I can handle… vultures, as you stated." She snapped. She rolled her eyes at herself, "Sorry, she just said some very distasteful things about you."

His mouth gapped open, "What did she say about me?"

"That your weakness is for uppity blondes." Brennan remarked.

"That's not true." He stated, smiling and shaking his head.

Brennan tilted her head to the side and began walking, "As an observant and objective scientist, I would have to agree with her Booth. You do have an innate attraction to blondes, although I don't know specifically what she was referring to using the word 'uppity'."

Booth caught up with her and guided her to the SUV with his hand firmly on her lower back, "I don't have a weakness for blondes, Bones. I have a weakness for strong, confident and intelligent women. I mean, yeah, Rebecca and Tessa were both blonde, but Cam wasn't and neither…" he began to say her but he stopped himself.

"Who?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "Never mind, you don't know her."

"You mean your current girlfriend?" she asked.

"I don't have a girlfriend, Bones. I… I was referring to someone from a long time ago." He said, avoiding her eyes, "Sometimes I forget that we've only known each other for four years." He smiled at her.

Brennan smiled as well and then suddenly stopped, "Oh! Booth are we going to go see Ms. Stever today?"

Booth stopped and looked at her, "Why?"

Brennan looked at him for a moment, "Lila."

A look of recognition crossed Booth's face, "OH! Of course! I'm so sorry, Bones. It's just with the new body and the potential evidence; It completely slipped my mind. Do you want to go now?" he asked.

Brennan thought for a moment and then looked at her watch, "Um, sure. Yeah. We have some time before the forensics team gets the body back to the lab."

"Alright then. Let's go get us a cute kid!" Booth laughed.

Brennan's semi-frown immediately turned into an incredulous smile, "You're a geek." She said following behind him.

"A dork, Bones. I'm a dork, not a geek." He corrected.

"What's the difference?"


	20. May 18h , 2009: 8:30 am

****

Another chapter. Not really fluffy at all. I think that that has fizzled out for the moment. Now that it's back to the working week, Booth and Brennan are a little more focused on other things.

Hope you like it!!

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**May 18****h ****, 2009: 8:30 am; D.C. Division of Child Services and Support**

"I am most certainly not a geek, Booth. You cannot categorize me in such a way." She stated as they stepped into the social services building together.

"Isn't calling yourself 'intelligent' also categorizing yourself?" Booth asked.

Brennan scoffed, "You aren't about to quote some benign philosophy textbook to me are you?"

Booth laughed, "Fine, fine. But the fact remains that you are indeed a geek, Bones. Especially if you refuse to admit it, as most geeks do."

"Well… you're a buffoon." Brennan retorted, crossing her arms and storming ahead of him to Sarah Stever's office.

Booth tried to keep up with her through the maze of desks, "Yeah, well only tried and true geeks use the word 'buffoon' nowadays. There are so many better adjectives, Bones. Lug, lump, dumb jock, philistine… and ya know, attractive manly man or occasionally well kept man." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, especially for one who is nearing forty." Brennan looked at him over her shoulder in attempts to see his reaction.

"Hey!" Booth said stopping in his tracks, "That is not even funny. I'm only thirty six, Bones! Thirty six!"

"Closer to forty than thirty." Brennan shot back.

"Well…" Booth thought for a moment, "You're not getting any younger either!"

Brennan turned and smiled at him in front of Sarah Stever's door, "Well I'm younger than you."

"Yeah, but you know what they say, Bones. Men age like a fine wine, but women… gravity starts taking hold." He smiled cockily.

Brennan's eyes widened and she punched him in the arm, "I defy gravity!" she said in jest of course.

Booth laughed, rubbing the now slightly sore spot on his arm, "You're right, Bones." He said, a more serious look coming to his face, "You'll always be just as beautiful."

Brennan's wide smile faded slightly as she comprehended the intent behind the statement, "Thank you, Booth. That was… a very lovely thing to say."

"Like a friend of mine once said, 'You don't need to thank me when I'm relaying a fact'." He smiled. Brennan remained completely flattered and utterly speechless, so when Booth said, "How about we go get ourselves a daughter?" Brennan sucked in a large breath and nodded in response.

He knocked on the door over Brennan's left shoulder and she stiffly turned towards the door until she heard a faint, "Come in!"

Brennan opened the door and found the same frazzled woman sitting behind the desk. She looked up from her paperwork and smiled, "Doctor Brennan, Agent Booth. It's so nice to see you again. Do you have any more questions about Jennifer?"

Brennan looked at Booth who stepped inside the office behind her, "No actually, we're here on another matter." Brennan said, stepping forward.

Sarah's eyes widened, "Oh God, don't tell me another of my employees are dead."

"No ma'am." Booth stated, closing the office door shut behind them.

"We were wondering about the status of the little girl that we met here the other day, Lila."

"Oh. Is she involved in the case in some way."

Brennan smiled and sat down in the chair across from her, "No. I'm afraid we haven't been very clear, we were interested in… fostering her and potentially taking steps for adoption." Brennan stated.

Sarah leaned back in her chair and smiled, "Ya know, I knew the other day when you came in here that there was more going on than the 'partner' thing. I usually have a sixth sense about romantic entanglements." She winked at Booth.

Brennan sat forward in her chair, "Oh, no. Booth and I are not together. We're just partners, but Booth agreed that should I try to adopt Lila that he would also be the legal guardian as every child should have a strong father figure."

Sarah looked up at Booth and then at Brennan, "And Agent Booth is a strong father figure?" she asked.

Brennan looked at Booth out of her peripheral vision, "He's the best father that a father can be, Ms. Stever."

Ms. Stever looked between the two of them before appearing to have made a decision, "Although we usually encourage foster to adopt parents to be married, I believe that your situation will be more than acceptable for the review board to allow. Lila is currently in a group home so it should be a problem to file the necessary paperwork some time today or tomorrow to have her transferred to your care." She said and then stopped, "You are foster parents correct?" she asked.

"I am." Brennan said, "Booth isn't."

"Yes I am." He corrected Brennan.

Brennan looked up at Booth immediately, "What?"

"A while back a buddy of mine asked me if I would be the legal guardian to his son if something should happen to him or his wife. I am a foster parent." He said, looking a Ms. Stever.

"Why didn't you say so?" Brennan asked.

Booth shrugged, "It's not like it hinders the process any. In fact, it speeds things up, Bones."

"If you guys have time now, I have some paperwork for you to fill out." Ms. Stever said.

"Actually, would it be alright to fax them to you? We have a body coming in." Brennan said.

"Sure. That's no problem. Just a few things before you go. First, who will be the child's primary caregiver?" she asked.

"The child will be living primarily with me, but Booth will have access to her at all times as well." Brennan stated and Booth nodded to her in agreement.

Sarah nodded, "Okay. Since you are going to be in the foster to adopt program, you should begin preparing for the adoption now. You'll need professional and personal references from friends and co-workers. The standard is three, but I always say to get as many as you can regardless. You'll also need a physical and a letter from your doctors and a tentative plan for the care of the child lined up including potential schools that the child may attend and who the secondary caregivers will be both in case of temporary absence or death. We will be looking into both of your financial records, but if you choose to include those with your application then that would be supremely helpful." She stopped and smiled at the both of them, "You are both well known in this area, Doctor Brennan from your novels and Agent Booth, your name is in the paper quite frequently from your exemplary work with Doctor Brennan. I don't think that you will have any problems adopting Lila. In most instances, we don't know what kind of home we are placing these children in, but it's evident that both of you are upstanding citizens and are both financially stable enough to care for a child. The only issue is your busy working hours, although in this instance, I don't think it matters much because Lila has already started first grade."

Brennan stood up, "Well, we just want to help." Brennan stated.

Sarah stood up as well, "Of course. Let me just get you those papers." She said turning to her file cabinet and shuffling around files. A minute later she pulled out four thick packets and slammed the drawer closed, "These two grey envelopes contain the foster to adopt paperwork which I will need back as soon as possible, and the blue envelopes contain the adoption forms and guidelines. All of the directions are on the top sheet in both adoption envelopes." She smiled.

"Thank you so much, Ms. Stever." Brennan said, putting both envelopes into her bag.

Booth tucked his under his arm and reached for the door and pulled it open, "Thanks." He said, briefly nodding his head.

"Thank you for coming in." Sarah waved as Brennan and Booth both exited the office.

After Brennan shut the door behind her, she grabbed Booth's arm, "Why didn't you tell me that you were a foster parent?"

"Because it's not exactly a happy story, Bones."

Brennan shook her head, "I don't understand."

Booth sighed and pulled her over into the corner, "This is between you and me okay? Angela, Hodgins… nobody can know. Okay?"

Brennan half nodded, "You can trust me."

Booth smiled, "I know I can." Booth paused before continuing, "Jared was seeing a girl while he was overseas and before the end of their first tour, she became pregnant. When they came home, she was about four months along and Jared asked me to become a foster parent just as a precaution. Three months later, she got into a car wreck. She and the baby died."

"Oh God, Booth. I'm so sorry."

Booth shook his head, "It was a long time ago, Bones."

"Still, I can't imagine how awful that must have been for both you and Jared."

Booth shrugged, "We've got a body waiting for us, Bones. Let's go." He forced a smile and led her out of the building.

**May 18****h ****, 2009: 10:02 am; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan walked into the lab by herself after Booth dropped her off at the curb. As she made her way to her office, she was suddenly surprised by the presence of Hodgins jumping out in front of her. He stopped suddenly and put her hand to her chest, "Oh God! Hodgins! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry, but I have major news!" he said excitedly.

Brennan looked at him imploringly, but was unsatisfied when he didn't continue, "About what?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Our victim got a chunk of the killer." He announced.

Brennan's eyes widened, "Are you kidding?"

Hodgins shook his head, "No." he said moving to his station. Brennan followed behind, "I found evidence of skin and hair underneath her fingernails." He said, bringing up the magnified view of the swab.

"So she was obviously still conscious at the time of her strangulation. Get these samples over to Cam as soon as you're done with them. Also, bring this to her as well." She said pulling the blood swab out of her bag, "And have her compare the DNA to the skin cells and hair from under her nails. Was that all?" Brennan asked.

Hodgins spun his chair around to his shelf and pulled out a sample of dirt, "There was also sediment that I haven't really had a chance to look at yet. But from a preliminary exam, I'd bet that they came from the New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania area."

"Why is that?" Brennan asked.

"There was evidence of plant life on the body. The Pine Barrons in mainly that general area carry numerous species of plants that only coexist in the mid-east area. Once I take a closer look I'll be able to pinpoint further."

Brennan nodded approvingly at him, "Good work Hodgins."

Hodgins smiled and turned back to his work with renewed vigour and Brennan made her way to her office once again that morning. As she entered her office it was completely dark. Using her sense memory, she made her way over to her desk and put down her belongings before back tracking to turn on the lights.

When she turned back to her desk, there was a bouquet of flowers waiting for her. Her heart immediately began racing as the vase that the flowers stood in reminded her of the one that Jennifer Morris had received from her neighbor Charlie. She slowly approached the pink roses and finally outreached her hand to snatch the small white card away from the bouquet. She opened the envelope and extracted the small card inside;

"**It is not so much our friends' help that helps us,**

**as the confidence of their help."**

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**Review!**


	21. May 18h , 2009: 12:55 pm

****

Okay, Okay... I lied. Apparently, despite the fact that fluff royally annoys me, I'm apparently very good and drawn to write it. But this will be the last fluff for a while in this story!! "Tonight" (in Booth and Brennan's reality) will be much more angsty and that chapter should be posted tomorrow on BONESDAY!!!!

Let me know what you think.

Thanks to everyone who is reviewing. It means a lot to me.

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**May 18****h ****, 2009: 12:55 pm; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan hung up her phone for the hundredth time that day. She placed her cell phone down on her desk and turned to her computer monitor. She scrolled down the page of her novel to where she left off and re-read the last paragraph when she looked over at her phone again. It hadn't rung.

She sighed and grabbed her phone again and dialed the familiar number once again. It rang, and rang; and then rang some more. She closed the phone and looked at the clock; 12:59. She grasped her phone a little tighter and willed it to ring, but it didn't, as wishing anything to happen rarely ever did.

Finally she stood up and put on her coat and grabbed her purse and flew from her office. Angela saw her rushing out of the building and called to her, "Sweetie!" she yelled running down the stairs of the platform. Brennan rarely ever became emotional to the point of visibly showing it and it concerned Angela. When she caught up to the tizzied anthropologist she put her hands on her shoulders and turned Brennan to face her, "Where are you going?"

Brennan brought a hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment, "Booth… he's missing and I… I need to… he's not answering." She mumbled almost as though she were speaking to herself rather than to Angela.

Angela raised her eyebrow in question and shook her head, "What are you talking about?"

Brennan looked into the artist's eyes as though she were crazy, "Booth is missing, Angela. I need to go find him!" she insisted.

Angela looked towards the automatic doors and then back at Brennan, "Sweetie, he's right there." She said pointing over her shoulder.

Brennan turned around and there indeed stood the alleged missing Agent with a perplexed look on his face, "Wha?" he was about to ask, when the forensic anthropologist's phone spiraled through the air at his head. He gingerly reached out and caught it before it could hit him.

"Where the hell were you?" she yelled at him.

Booth dropped the phone into his other hand and shook out his catching hand, "Ow! Damn Bones! You've got one hell of a fastball."

Brennan stormed over to him and shoved him backwards, "Answer me! Where were you? I've called you almost twenty times!" she yelled.

By this point, everyone in the lab stilled and watched the dramatic scene that was taking place. Booth looked around and noticed this and gently took Brennan's arm and began guiding her back to her office, "Let's take this somewhere a little less public, Bones." He whispered to her and pulled her unwillingly along.

She struggled to get out of his grasp but remained unsuccessful, "Answer my Goddamned question, Booth!" She said forcefully, but not loudly enough to echo off of the Medico Legal Lab's walls.

When they entered her office, Brennan stormed over toward her desk while Booth calmly closed the door. When he turned to her he raised his arms up in surrender, "What the hell is going on?" he asked genuinely.

Brennan crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and jutted her hip out to the side. Taking a calming breath she began to speak slowly as though talking to an infant, "I called you numerous times without any response. I've been calling for the past three hours, Booth."

Booth paused for a moment and then dug into his jacket pocket and retrieved his phone. He cringed when the display listed twenty two missed calls from her, "It's still on silent from when we went to DCS." He regretfully relayed to her. He shook his head at himself and turned the volume back on, "I'm sorry, Bones. I usually never forget to turn the thing back on."

Brennan shifted her stance and looked away, "Yes." She stated uncomfortably, "It was… very annoying to not be able to get a hold of you and..." She stated rationally.

Booth knew better though. He walked over to her and put his phone back in his pocket, "And you were worried about me." He finished for her.

Brennan looked up at him and scoffed in a very unconvincing manner, "No I wasn't."

As she turned to sit in her chair he gently brought her back to face him, "No, Bones. You were worried about me." He insisted.

She stared at him for a moment before biting her lip; an action which he loved, and then she sighed, "Yes I was worried about you!" she admitted, pushing him gently in the arm, "But it isn't fair." She added.

He smiled, "What isn't fair?"

"When one of us gets abducted the other usually goes a little… psychotic." She said, then added, "That isn't the word I wanted to use."

"I get it." Booth said, "Continue." He implored.

"Well, when that happens, neither of us get to see the other one. All we know is that we were abducted and found. You were able to observe me in such a situation where I…"

"Went a little psycho?" he asked.

Brennan heaved, "It's not funny, Booth. I thought you were missing."

"Okay, okay." He calmed her by putting his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I understand."

"Regardless, it isn't fair. You weren't supposed to see me like that."

Booth smiled widely at her, "Well, to make up for it I'll get the lab and FBI's security tapes of the day that you and Hodgins were taken, okay?" he asked, "Then you can watch me go psychotic and I went much more insane then you went just now."

Brennan nodded, "That might make me feel better."

"Good." Booth responded with a smile, "Now what was so important?"

Brennan's eyes lit up in recognition and she stepped the side to reveal the bouquet of flowers standing prominently on her desk. Booth looked at her and then back at the bouquet, "Is it…?" he asked.

Brennan nodded in response, "I received them after coming back with you."

"Is there a card?" he asked.

"A cryptic one." Brennan shrugged, plucking the card from the bouquet and handing it to him.

Booth read the message and put it back inside the envelope, "He's supposed to contact me today." Booth said.

Brennan nodded, "I know."

Booth took his phone out of his pocket to make sure that the volume was turned up again and then re-placed it in his coat pocket, "You got anything on the case?" he asked.

"Oh! Yes!" Brennan jumped, "The victim scratched her attacker so Hodgins gave the samples to Cam. She is going to see if the DNA matches the blood sample that we found and run the DNA through the database."

Booth shook his head, "Have you had a chance to look at the remains for an I.D.?" he asked.

Brennan crossed her arms again, "Nope. Sorry. I was a little distracted." She said sarcastically.

Booth smiled and put his hands up in the air, "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. It's all my fault." He said.

"You're damn right, it is!" Brennan said forcefully, walking around her desk and taking a seat.

"Are you going to do the prelim?" Booth asked. Brennan simply glared at him and Booth took the hint, "How about lunch, Bones?"

Brennan roughly picked up her tossed purse again and walked out of the office without him and Booth followed behind, shaking his head and inwardly beaming because his Bones had been scared on his behalf.

**May 18****h****, 2009: 2:16 pm; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

When Booth and Brennan returned from lunch, both of them decided to check up and see where Cam was with the identification. Booth burst through the doors without so much as a knock and commandeered Cam's rolling chair at her desk, "Hows it going with the DNA Cam?" he asked.

Cam looked up from the body on her autopsy table at the Agent who looked more at home in her office than she did, "I don't know anything yet." She said slightly irritated, "You always do this and I always say the same thing Seeley; it takes time to retrieve the DNA and even more time to run it against other convicted criminals. I probably won't have the DNA until about one or two o'clock in the morning and I'm going to need another four to six hours to run it. Tough luck, pal." She said, directing her attention to the man on the cold steel table in front of her.

"And that is exactly why I hate science." Booth said shaking his head.

Brennan scoffed, "If the process were any faster it would be subject to error which is highly inflammatory in a murder investigation, Booth."

"You planning on examining those remains anytime soon, Bones? Or do you just love being around me so much that I give you a good reason to procrastinate?" He smiled at her.

Brennan glared at him, "You know I take my work very seriously Booth. Hodgins and Wendell are going over the remains as we speak for any evidence and when they are finished Wendell will be boiling away any of the remaining flesh. It's been almost four years and you still don't know our process? That is absolutely unacceptable."

Booth stood abruptly, "You've been distracted since we started working this case, Bones."

"How dare you!" Brennan scolded.

"It's the truth and you know it." Booth said, taking steps towards her.

"Well it's your fault!" Brennan defended.

"My fault?" he said incredulously

Booth attempted to make another remark but Cam interrupted the both of them from continuing to fight, "Oh, would you two please just make out already? I'm so sick of this soap opera and I want to change the channel." She yelled at the both of them.

They both turned to look at her quizzically, "What?" Booth asked a moment later.

Cam but down her scalpel and took off her gloves. Next she walked around the table and stood in front of the both of them, "Angela loves to do this kind of stuff, but she isn't here right now so I will, begrudgingly, take on the job. You're both under stress to find the killer… among other things. We get it; but the whole argue as a means to metaphorically fornicate is really getting old. Just… do it already. For the sake of my sanity and the mental well being of the rest of the lab, just go home and get it on because, honestly I don't think I can take it much longer." Cam said almost pleadingly. When she was done, she turned around, retrieved a new pair of gloves and went back to work on her John Doe.

Booth and Brennan stood still for a moment, still looking at Cam and still silent. Finally after a moment, Booth looked back at Brennan and then quickly away when her eyes caught his, "Uh," he said, awkwardly clearing his throat, "I have to… I've got… paperwork." He said shrugging

Brennan nodded, "Yup." She said quickly, also avoiding eye contact, "I've got, ya know… exams. Examinations." She corrected.

And with that, the both of them exited Cam's office in opposite directions of each other. Cam took a moment to sigh, "Does nothing I say carry any weight?" she asked her John Doe. She listened for a moment, "Yup. I didn't think so either, Johnny." She said, removing his liver.


	22. May 18h, 2009: 7:16 pm

**HAPPY BONESDAY!!!!!!!!! Hope you like this chapter! **

**Review please!**

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**May 18****h****, 2009: 7:16 pm; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

When Booth had gotten home at around 6 o'clock, he immediately took a long, hot shower and then changed into what he humorously referred to his "uniform" which consisted of a pair of delightful white socks decorated in hopping green frogs that Parker had given him last year for father's day, a pair of grey sweatpants and a white undershirt that was well worn and acted as a double for occasional gym visits.

His current position was sprawled out on the couch in front of the television which was featuring sports center. He wasn't surprised when there was a knock on his door so he immediately jumped to his feet and made his way over to the door.

Brennan was standing on the other side with a pizza box in her hands, "Delivery. That will be twenty three dollars, sir." She smiled.

Booth shook his head and smiled, "Sometimes, Bones, you surprise the hell out of me."

"Why?" she said, her demeanor changing from playful to confused.

Booth smiled a little wider and let her in, "Never mind, Bones."

Brennan immediately went to the kitchen and put the pizza down on the counter, "I brought the paperwork for the foster adoption." She said.

Booth followed in after her and took her purse off of her shoulder for her as she reached for the plates in the drying rack, "Good. I have mine in the living room. We can fill them out after we eat." He said as he opened the pizza box and grabbed two slices. She held out the plates for him to place the slices on and then took both plates into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Drink?" Booth called from the kitchen.

Brennan thought about it for a second before answering, "Beer, please."

A moment later, Booth emerged from the kitchen with two beers in hand and handed her one as he sat down next to her, "This is becoming a habit." He said taking a bite of his slice. Brennan twisted off the cap of her beer and took a sip and nodded thoughtlessly. Booth took a sip of his beer as well and then laughed, "We should just move in together." He laughed.

Brennan's eyes widened as she stared at the television and Booth knew that he made a misstep. After a moment, her eyes returned to their normal size and she placed her beer on the coffee table, "That would be inadvisable. It would ruin your sex life." She said turning to him.

Booth consciously decided to respond and took a large bite of his pizza. Inwardly he was scolding himself for his idiocy. They sat in silence for some time before a ringing both startled them out of their thoughts. Neither one of them jumped up to answer it.

Booth looked over at Brennan, "Did you change your ringtone?" he asked.

Brennan looked at him and shook her head, "I thought that that was your phone."

Booth furrowed his brows and froze for a moment. He put his plate down on the table and wiped the grease off his hands on his sweatpants and then stood up, tracking the cell phone. Finally, he found it on top of his entertainment center. It definitely was not his cell phone.

Brennan bolted from the couch and into the kitchen to retrieve the digital recorder from her purse and as she reentered the living room she tossed the tape recorder to him. He turned it on and held it up to the phone before accepting the call.

"Hello?"

"Sergeant Booth?" the voice on the other end asked.

"How the hell did you get into my apartment?" Booth said in an intimidating tone.

"I didn't want to interrupt your night in with your beautiful partner." The voice answered.

Booth looked up at Brennan and then moved the windows and looked through the shades before pulling them shut, "Don't ever come into my home ever again and definitely don't talk about my partner. EVER. Do you understand?" he asked.

"Yes sir." The voice answered obediently.

"I want answers, now. Tell me who you are."

"I can't do that, sir. I'm not in the governments favor at the present time."

"Oh yeah? Why is that? Stalking? Harrasment of civil servants?"

"With all due respect sir, there are more important things that need to be discussed that my history with the government." He said calmly.

Booth ran his hand over his face and put it back on his hip. Brennan watched him as he paced back and forth across the apartment. She had her arms crossed and she stood in the corner of the room, attempting to stay out of his way. She couldn't help but feel the urge to go to him; to wrap her arms around him, but she knew that it would be inappropriate in the current atmosphere.

"Did you murder all of those girls?" Booth insisted.

"I've killed but I've never murdered, much like yourself, Sir." The voice said, "Sergeant Booth, I must insist that we change course on this conversation. I only have a minute left." He said impatiently.

Booth sighed, "Fine." He relented, "What about it?" he asked.

"At this point I need to know what you've found."

"Medal of Allegiance and the countrymen."

"Do you know what they are?" he asked.

"The computer crashed before we received any more information." Booth said.

"It didn't crash, sir. It's a virus that the government keeps in those files to make sure that no one can get a hold of the information."

"Great." Booth said sarcastically, "So are you going to tell me what they are?"

"No sir." He stated, "You don't trust me. You have to find out for yourself."

"What the hell are you suggesting? What? Do you want me to break into the white house or something?"

"Not the White House." He said.

"Well what…" he started, but the other man had already hung up. He looked down at the screen to see the time stamp blinking and threw the phone at the wall where it broke into several pieces.

Brennan jumped at the impact and after a moment of recuperation stepped towards him, "Are you okay?" she asked.

Booth turned to look at her and held his hands up in the air, "I am so sick of this ambiguous bullshit already. Just tell me what you want me to know! Don't string me along like some idiot who needs help going to the bathroom!" he said angrily.

Brennan raised an eyebrow and stepped towards him again and put her hand on his arm, "You do realize that you aren't making any sense, right?"

Booth rolled his eyes, "I'm angry; I don't have to be rational right now, Bones." He said dropping down onto the couch, "Go get the papers. Let's fill them out now." He said reluctantly.

"Are you sure that you want to do that right now?" she asked.

Booth rubbed his forehead and let out a heavy breath, "I just need to get my mind off of this right now, Bones. Paperwork will do some good." He said.

Brennan nodded, "Okay" and then went into the kitchen.


	23. May 18h, 2009: 11:42 pm

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Here is another chapter! I didn't think that I was going to update tonight, but then inspiration struck. Also, I don't think that I will be updating on Sunday because I have to work a double shift as one of them is a cover for someone who is on vacation in FLORIDA! Ugh... people who go on vacation make me sick! Or jealous... which ever works... haha

Enjoy the chapter and pray to the Gods or the muses that inspiration strikes double hard for me tomorrow so that I will complete a chapter to simply post on Sunday!

Please Review!

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**May 18****h****, 2009: 11:42 pm; The Apartment Doctor Temperance Brennan**

By the time she arrived home from Booth's house, she was absolutely exhausted. It was mainly her frustration that was tiring her out. She didn't understand how Booth could sit so quietly for an extended period of time as he had just done for the past three hours. With a few grunts and words occasionally tossed here and there as they completed the paperwork for the foster adoption, she found herself infinitely amazed that this normally charming and vivacious man could change so drastically to the point of being barely recognizable.

She couldn't blame him though. She always knew that he was strong, but she would have reached her breaking point tonight had the roles been reversed. The idea that one person was attempting to irreparably alter the way which he viewed his own life was almost unbearable, especially when the past defined so much of who he was. Despite him constantly assuring her that she was doing a fine job of supporting him, she felt as though she didn't know what she was doing the majority of the time. All she could really give him was the moderate physical contact that Angela had suggested four years ago when he decided to reveal more about his sniper days to her and it seemed as though her attempts to assert some logic into the situation was being met with deaf or completely annoyed ears.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes before tossing her purse on top of the chair in the corner of her bedroom and changing out of her day clothes and into some soft silk pajamas that her aching and tired skin longed for. She pulled up her hair into a ponytail and sat on her bed and tucked her feet underneath the covers. On her nightstand was her journal and a pen. She looked at the book wearily and finally, with much disdain, grabbed the book and flipped open to the page in question to update it.

_Booth's DNA is a 99.9% match to that of the DNA that was retrieved from the casts._

_Stalker sent flowers to me this morning. Twelve Pink Roses with a card. _

_-Card taped to back of last page for future reference._

_No particulates were found on the vase or card which was delivered to my office for me today from the "stalker" whom is contacting Booth_

_The stalker infiltrated Booth's apartment at some point today and left behind a disposable cell phone which Booth broke in anger._

_No way to trace the call now because of aforementioned phone breaking._

_Booth suspects that the stalker may have been or might still be in the military. The stalker refers to him as "Sir" or "Sergeant" which is usually trademark of military experience. Also, the stalker was able to penetrate Booth's apartment without Booth knowing which he believes is almost impossible because he would have "felt it" when he re-entered his home this evening, which he also believed is a sign of military experience; most likely special ops. _

_Stalker made a comment about "breaking in" somewhere to get more information. _

_-We do not know what he means specifically, but we know we won't do it as we are law abiding citizens. (Not including Booth's illegal parking and Hodgins and my attempts to hack into the Pentagon) _

_For the sake of Booth's sanity, and my own, I hope that we catch the killer soon and whoever this is that is feeding Booth a LACK of information will either be the same person and be arrested, convicted and sent to jail, or just be more frank in his next communication._

Brennan read over her thoughts and sighed loudly. She closed the journal and placed it back on her nightstand and turned off the light. She rolled over in her bed and buried herself underneath the covers further where the moonlight that shown through her blinds couldn't find her and she quietly cried herself to sleep, for herself, for Lila, and most of all, for Booth.

**Tuesday 19****h****, 2009: 07:05 am; The J. Edgar Hoover Building, Office of Special Agent Seeley Booth **

Booth was in an irritable mood. Not only because of the events that transpired the night before, but also because he was woken up at four o'clock in the morning by Cam with a DNA match from the blood and the hair and skin samples from the body.

The blood, hair and skin all belonged to the same man. A Seymour Freed whose current whereabouts were unknown and the only address that was listed for him was a P.O Box at a nearby U.S. Postal Service. For all intents and purposes, Booth's only real suspect was a ghost. There was only minor details about his life that stopped at the age of eighteen. No credit cards or bank records, no employment that Charlie could dig up and no activity on any public records that were filed for taxes or otherwise.

He wished that he could say that this was an uncommon circumstance, but when dealing with serial killers, they either lived virtually transparent lives like the Gravedigger and Kevin Hollings, others like Howard Epps enjoyed claiming their victims and playing games with those on the side of right. And the last kind, the worst of all, were the ones who viewed their murders as an art form and enjoy the anonymity of their acts, perceiving the uprising about their acts as their praise. The killer that they were onto now, this Seymour Freed was the latter.

All of the crime scenes of his victims were set up. The bodies posed, the stockings that were the instrument of their death delicately hanging from their necks like a silk scarf; and to top it all off, a sliver of soap placed on their tongue after their death, as a symbol, Booth was sure, that he was "washing their mouths out" like his mother must have done to him as a child. He didn't need a profiler to tell him those things. He wasn't an idiot like everyone thought.

Booth tossed his pen down onto his desk and ran a frustrated hand over his face when Cullen stormed into his office, "BOOTH!" He yelled.

Booth immediately stood up and swiped his hand over his tie, "Yes, sir?" he asked obediently.

"Would you like to explain to me why there was a bloodied man handcuffed to a bench downstairs?" he said angrily crossing his arms over his chest.

"Wha…" Booth said, nervously looking around his office, "Where is he?"

"Now, he's at the hospital. He was beaten to a pulp, Booth, and a sign taped to him. What the hell is going on?"

Booth raised his eyebrows, "What did it say?" he asked.

"Trust me, Sergeant Booth. That's what the damned thing said. And you're lucky that I found him before word got out to the press that there was a captive being held outside of the FBI building."

Booth shook his head incredulously, "Sir, I swear, I have no idea what is going on. What hospital is he at?" he asked.

"George Washington." Cullen said disappointedly, "You find out what the hell happened to him, got it?"

Booth nodded his head, "Absolutely, sir."

**May 19****h****, 2009: 07:30 am; Special Agent Seeley Booth in route to George Washington University Hospital**

Sirens blaring in his Sequoia, Seeley Booth sped through morning traffic (as much as possible) on his way to visit the unnamed man who was found outside of the FBI building that morning. He hit one on his speed dial and pressed his phone up to his ear waiting for his partner to pick up on the other end.

"Hey." She said groggily.

"Don't tell me that you actually slept in on your own without provocation." He laughed.

"Shut it, Booth." She said, with a hint of laughter in her own voice, "Why are you calling so early?"

"This is early for me, Bones. Comparative to your normal mornings to you, this is like… afternoon." He said.

"Once again, I say, shut it Booth."

"I'm on my way to George Washington." He said, turning off the sirens as they weren't helping him inch through traffic any more.

"University?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Hospital."

He heard her move suddenly on the other end, "Why? Is everything okay? Are you injured?" she asked impatiently.

"I'm fine. There was someone left outside the Hoover after a rough confrontation with my name taped to his chest."

Brennan sighed in relief, "Case related?"

"I don't know but Cullen seems to think so."

"Okay, I'll meet you there." she said shortly.

Booth laughed, "No need." He said, "If you get dressed and then run down to the coffee shop I can pick you up there. Sound good?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you be passed my apartment already?" she asked.

"Traffic. I'm about two blocks away in bumper to bumper. If my calculations are correct, I should be parked in the fast lane in front of the coffee shop in about twenty to thirty minutes. Or who knows, maybe you'll have to walk back to your apartment to meet me."

"Well, I have to take a quick shower so I'll give you a call when I'm at the coffee shop."

"Sounds good." Booth smiled.

"Okay, bye." She said, hanging up the phone without a response.


	24. May 19h, 2009: 08:03 am

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Here is the next chapter! I'm still not sure about a chapter for tomorrow. If I do post one... it will be up at earliest after seven, maybe even later. Otherwise, check up on me for Monday when there will definitely be a chapter awaiting all of you fine readers (and reviewers!!!!)

Let me know what you think!

**May 19****h****, 2009: 08:03 am; Special Agent Seeley Booth in route to George Washington University Hospital**

He slowly inched his way through the streets of the District of Columbia and by this time, was just a few feet away from being parked in the fast lane in front of the Coffee shop.

He looked through the windows and saw his partner reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She trapped it in between her shoulder and her ear before grabbing two very large coffees and bringing them over to the side stand with all of the milk and sugar products and loading Booth's coffee up with the eight packets of sugar that he likes in his coffee, and then adding the mocha powder he normally adds when buying a cup at this particular coffee shop.

Booth's cell phone began reading and he pulled it out and put it to his ear, "I can see you!" he said in a sing-song voice.

Brennan looked up from her task and spotted him outside the window and waved, "Okay. Don't go anywhere. I'm coming out!" she said, snapping the coffee tops back on and disconnecting the call. She dropped her phone into her pocket and picked up the two cups and walked out onto the street.

The streets were literally looking like another parking lot. No one was moving, but horns were blaring and music was blasting. The sun was shining hot upon her face and all she wanted to do was reach Booth's truck and get into the air conditioning.

"Hey! Temperance Brennan! I love your books." Someone shouted from their car.

Brennan turned and waved slightly and made her pace towards her destination quicken. Finally, she made it to the SUV and Booth popped open the passenger door for her from across the console. Brennan placed one foot on the floor of the SUV and hoisted herself up inside as she handed Booth his coffee.

It was evident to them that neither was thinking clearly at the moment as when Brennan leaned toward him to shut the door behind her, they both leaned in for a chaste kiss on the lips that was almost so domestic in afterthought that Brennan felt nauseous.

They both immediately stiffened in their seats and chose to stare straight ahead. At the same moment, they both took a long swig of their coffees. Booth brought the cup from his lips and studied the outside before studying the contents of the actually coffee itself, "This doesn't have any tequila in it, does it?" he asked.

"Unfortunately no." She said regretfully, still not looking at him.

"Damn."

**May 19****h****, 2009: 08:42 am; George Washington University Hospital**

Booth and Brennan finally arrived at the hospital after a very awkwardly slow drive together after a very awkward kiss that they shared. After thinking about it, Brennan decided that the only logical thing to do was to explain to Booth how not awkward the event really was. After finding out where the Emergency Room was, Booth and Brennan walked around the hospital trying to find it.

"Booth?" Brennan said.

"Yes, Bones?" he asked, looking to his side which he deemed as a mistake as the scent of her hair invaded him.

"I just want to let you know that I kissed you as a means of greeting. People do that sort of thing all of the time. It wasn't meant to be taken as a declaration of any kind. I was just saying hello as many cultures use kisses to do." She explained ineffectively.

"I thought I kissed you." He said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Regardless, It didn't mean anything." She completed.

"Hey look! Here we are!" Booth said pulling the curtain back from John Doe's bed and effectively changing the subject.

As they stepped inside the small closed off section, a nurse trailed in behind them, "Can I help you?" she asked.

Booth flashed his badge, "Special Agent Seeley Booth." He said, then gesturing to his partner, "Doctor Temperance Brennan. We need to ask him some questions."

The nurse's face lightened, "He's completely unconscious. There is no way you can ask him any questions right now. Plus, his injuries suggest that he was beaten over the head repeatedly so he might have brain damage. We need to get him an MRI before we know the full extent of his trauma. Do you know who he is?" she asked.

Booth furrowed his brows, "You don't?"

"He didn't have any I.D. when he was brought in." she shook her head.

"Okay…" Booth said, pulling out his phone, "Get a blood sample ready for us. A warrant will be here in about a half an hour."

The nurse nodded, "Sure thing." She said before leaving the room.

"Can you do that?" Brennan asked.

Booth shrugged, "As far as this kind of situation goes, the hospital can't do much to help him unless they have a full medical history. Seeing as how he is obviously unconscious and has absolutely no identification on him and no idea as to how long he might stay this way… I see no other option. Caroline will make it happen. She loves me." He said giving her his charm smile and making his way out of the sectioned off area to dial the prosecutor's number.

Brennan walked up the side of the bed and looked at the man in question. His face was covered in cuts and bruises and the remnants of dried blood. The right side of his face was swollen and his lips were chapped and split. It looked as though the man had been tortured all night long before being left to be found by the FBI.

She couldn't help but question her own motives. Why was she here? Obviously there was no need for her presence. She could be at the lab right now, if not re-examining all of the victims then definitely working on the new Bronze age bones that had come in or at least getting some of the limbo bodies in her care identified. Although in her head she attempted to convince herself that it was a partner's duty to assist her partner when needed, she knew that the only reason she had jumped on the chance to tag along with Booth this morning was the ever present need to be with him that she had yet to be able to get rid of. And as much as she wanted to internally scold herself for that archaic and primitive need for both giving and receiving comfort in the metaphoric arms of a man, there was a part of her that was only fulfilled by this irrational state of mind.

When Booth reentered the "room" she turned to him and smiled softly. He returned the smile and stuck his hands in his pockets sheepishly, "So do you want to wait here for the blood or do you want to get to the lab?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "I suppose my time would be more efficiently spent at the lab." Booth nodded and drew back the curtain for her to pass through before following her out.

The drive to the lab was extremely quiet and Booth despite all of his attempts couldn't get that stupid miniscule kiss out of his head no matter how hard he tried. Every time he wasn't thinking about it, he would think about the fact that he wasn't thinking about it and then end up thinking about it all over again. It was a never ending cycle and his cheeks were running out of their blush for the day.

As he pulled up outside of the lab, he put his car in park and looked over at her, "Okay. See ya later, Bones." He said awkwardly, almost hoping that she would kiss him again. No; _definitely_ hoping she would.

Brennan cleared her throat before glancing over at him, "Yup." She said, forcing a smile and popping open her door.

As she jumped out, Booth leaned over the console, "Oh hey, Bones?"

"Yes?" she asked, stopping herself from slamming the door shut.

"Did you have time to mail out those adoption forms this morning?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "I dropped them all in the mailbox after I left your place last night."

He smiled, "Great."

Brennan returned his smile before slamming the door shut. Booth watched her walk up the steps to the Jeffersonian and wondered to himself how one person could lift his spirits so much just by simply standing in his presence.

**May 19****h****, 2009: 10:16 am; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

After settling into her office after Booth dropped her off, Brennan began working on the secondary examination of the victims remains. She knew that it was extremely doubtful that she would find anything that she hadn't already found before, but being thorough was never considered a negative thing in her mind.

And despite that mantra that she thought to herself for the past fifteen years of her life, Brennan was having a very difficult time paying attention and therefore her thorough examination was inevitably all for naught. To those who passed by, she appeared to be absolutely involved in what she was doing, but in reality she was merely staring at the bones if victim number four, Amanda Mercazy while she was completely entranced in her thoughts about her personal life.

She was entering into new territory and that required some contemplation, but the workplace was definitely not where it should happen. It was simply unprofessional. She sighed and placed Amanda's femur back in place on the table and removed her gloves thoughtlessly. She decided to listen to Booth's advice for once in her life and go talk about the subject of her thoughts with Angela.

She gingerly stepped off of the platform and moved towards her best friends office. With each clack of her heels that rang through her ears, her footsteps became more and more labored. In her mind, walking to Angela's office to talk about everything that was going on was worse than attempting to walk her way out of quicksand. By the time that she stood outside of her best friend's office, she had come to a complete stop. Did she really want to talk about all of this? Knowing Angela, she would most likely have a balloon trap and confetti cannons set up for such an occasion already. The thing that she hated to admit to herself was the fact that once she said everything out loud, it was fact, not just supposition in her head. Thoughts were never tangible and could be rationalized internally without the third party denying their accuracy. The study of communications, however, states that once something is said out loud, it can never be taken back no matter how many times one says 'forget I said that' or 'I didn't mean it that way' the damage is ultimately done.

Finally, Brennan swallowed a heaping portion of her pride and stepped inside Angela's office. Angela looked up at her friend as she made her way into her office and smiled, "Hey sweetie, long time no speak!"

Brennan smiled, "I need to talk to you." Brennan stated in a serious tone that alerted Angela's senses immediately.

Angela rose from her desk and walked around the other side towards her couch and gestured for her friend to take a seat, "What's up, Sweetie?" she asked, taking a seat next to Brennan.

Brennan shifted on the couch and looked down at her hands, "Booth and I are adopting Lila." She said plainly.

"Lila? You mean the oujia board girl?" she asked, "She's a kid?"

Brennan shook her head, "Booth and I met her when we went to DCS to ask about Jennifer." She stated, "We're going to have joint custody of her. Speaking of which, can you write me a recommendation for the adoption?"

Angela smiled widely, "Absolutely! Oh my goodness, Bren. Look at you starting a family!" She said excitedly, nudging Brennan's arm.

Brennan half smiled, "I'll give you all of the information that you need before you leave today." She said, "But there is something else, Ange." Brennan said, feeling the weight of her coming words lying heavily on her shoulders.

Angela became serious and put her hand on Brennan's, "Bren, whatever it is… you can tell me."

"I kissed Booth this morning." She blurted out.

Angela's eyes widened and then she laughed, "Seriously?" she asked excitedly.

"It's not funny Angela! It was an accident. I didn't mean to even do it! It just… happened. I leaned over and his lips just happened to be in the direct path of my own."

Angela laughed even harder after the explanation of what happened, "Oh, hunny. I swear, I'm not laughing at you!" she said in between giggles and large intakes of breath, "It's just… If there is a God, he has a great sense of humor." She said slapping her knee.

"Angela!" Brennan yelled, "Stop laughing so hard!" Brennan implored, with a pout coming to her lips, "Aren't you going to give me any advice?" she almost whined.

Angela took a few more calming breaths before her chuckles finally subsided, "Sure, Bren. I'll give you some advice. From now on, wear super glue as a lip gloss."

Brennan crossed her arms defiantly, "That's not funny." She demanded.

Angela shook her head, "I swear, If you don't jump on him soon, he'll be my break from celibacy, Brennan." She said, "In all seriousness, Brennan. The man is your rock. There is nothing that the two of you can't say to each other, nothing that you can't fight about, nothing that you two don't share verbally or non verbally. The only thing that you don't say to each other is the one thing that will save you both from all of the torment you put yourselves and each other through. Don't you ever just… get tired of not being with him? When you look in his eyes sometimes, wouldn't you just love to say, screw everything else, you're the only thing I really want. You're the only thing that genuinely makes me happy?"

Brennan's expression softened and her hands fell into her lap. She looked down at her twiddling fingers and breathed out. Before she could even respond, Cam barged into the room, "Doctor Brennan." She called.

Brennan's head popped up and looked directly at her, "Yes Doctor Saroyan?" she asked.

"The man in the hospital," she said pausing before the next part, "His DNA matches that of the DNA from the latest victim's crime scene. He's the serial killer we've been after."

With those words, Brennan immediately dug her cell phone out of her lab coat and hit her speed dial one button.

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	25. May 19h, 2009: 12:04 pm

**Here is the next chapter! Let me know what you think!**

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**May 19****h****, 2009: 12:04 pm; The J. Edgar Hoover Building**

After receiving Brennan's phone call, Booth immediately sent over a protective detail to the hospital and then called the hospital to check on Seymour Freed's status who luckily was still unconscious and was found to have no brain damage from the beating that someone gave him rightfully the night before.

He saw someone enter his office as he opened up Kristin Rath's case file from the DC metro police and looked up. I his doorway his brother stood smirking at him, "Hey Big Bro." he said casually leaning up against the door frame.

"Jared." Booth said unexcitedly, "To what do I owe this pleasure? Need money for a prostitute?" he asked, hiding a smirk.

Jared guffawed and pushed himself off of the door frame, "I miss college." He said dreamily.

Booth smiled and shook his head, "What are you doing here Jar?"

"I want to take my big brother out for lunch. What do you say?"

Booth looked at his watch and thought for a moment. He dug his phone out of his suit jacket pocket and flipped it open. After sending Brennan a text message that read 'Going to lunch with Jared. Get something to eat, Bones!' he quickly sent another to Angela that said, 'Drag Bones out to lunch, can't make it today' and quickly closed his phone and accepted lunch with his brother.

On the way out to the parking lot he received a text from Angela that stated, 'No problem. BTW; adopting Lila? You owe me dinner for that!' Booth laughed out loud. When he cleared out of that message, there was another from Brennan that stated, 'I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!'

Booth shook his head and put his phone back in his pocket and looked up to find Jared staring at him with a goofy smile on his face, "Was that your partner?" he asked suggestively.

Booth glared at him, "Why do you care? Last I checked, she wants nothing to do with you." He said.

Jared shook his head, "I know that and it's fine. I've moved passed that. I just think it's… strange that you always get this… look on your face when you talk about her, to her or whenever you see her." Jared shrugged and then opened the driver's seat of his car and jumped in.

Booth got in on the passenger side, "What look?" he asked.

"I don't know…" Jared said, "Just a look."

Booth looked at his brother as the car started moving and then out the window, "You said that just to torture me didn't you?"

Jared smiled widely, "It's my brotherly duty." He rationalized, "But there totally is a look." He confirmed.

When they got to the restaurant, Jared ordered a scotch on the rocks and Booth had a soda. After an extended period of silence Booth leaned across the table toward him, "What do you want Jared?" Booth asked.

Jared took a sip of his drink and appraised his brother's mood, "I need a job, Seeley and I'm having trouble finding one."

Booth shook his head in confusion, "And you want me to help you?" he asked.

Jared shook his head, "You don't have to get me into Quantico or anything. Just some rinky-dink desk job is fine until I get my bearings back." He explained.

Booth shrugged, "I don't know that I have that kind of pull at the bureau, Jared."

"Are you kidding?" Jared asked incredulously, "You're like the homicide division Golden Boy, what with your success rate and your partner!"

"That is exactly the point, Jared. The only reason I have such a high closure rate is because of Temperance. It doesn't have much to do with me at all."

"If you didn't want to help me all you had to do was say so." Jared said standing up, "You know that the only reason I lost my job was because I was trying to save your life."

"Sit down!" Booth ordered.

Jared looked at him disdainfully and then finally took a seat and waited. Booth took a sip of his soda and sat back in his seat, "I know what you did for me Jared and I appreciate it, honestly I do. But this one time doesn't make up for the hundreds of times that I have covered your ass, Jared. Hundreds of times. Regardless of evening the score here; if I could get you a temporary position at the FBI, I would, but I honestly cannot help you. But I will make a few calls to some old friends and see what they can do. Okay?" he explained calmly.

Jared sat back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Fine. Thank you Seeley."

"There is one thing I've been meaning to ask you though."

"Shoot." Jared said.

"Do you know anything about a group called 'The Countrymen'?" Booth asked.

Jared paused for a moment to think and then shrugged, "No." he answered simply.

"How about the Medal of Allegiance?" he asked.

"Sorry Bro." Jared said taking his drink in hand, "I have no clue."

The waitress walked up to their table and took their orders and Booth hated the feeling deep in his gut that was telling him that Jared was not completely honest with him when he asked those questions.

**May 19****h****, 2009: 02:45 pm; The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Brennan was standing on the platform with her arms crossed and staring at all of the bodies in front of her. It was obvious that she was thinking, but whether or not it was about the case was yet to be determined as Booth climbed the stairs of the platform and stood next to her, "Seymour's awake." He said interrupting her reverie.

Brennan jumped slightly and turned towards him with a glare, "Now I know why you made an excellent sniper."

Booth laughed, "That didn't make me a good sniper Bones. That just makes you an easy target." He joked, gently nudging her shoulder.

"You want to go question him?" she asked as she started walking off of the platform.

"Yup." He responded, following her, "I just need a quick word with Angela first."

Brennan nodded despite the fact that she was confused and kept on her path towards her office as Booth veered off towards Angela's, "Hey." He said closing the doors of her office and making sure that Brennan was nowhere near them.

Angela jumped up, "It was days ago Booth, and now you're coming to talk about it?" Angela asked disappointedly.

"I case you haven't noticed, Angela, I've been trying to catch a serial killer the past few weeks." He responded sarcastically.

Angela rolled her eyes, "I didn't talk to her about it, Booth. I did something kind of underhanded and sneaky." She said regretfully.

Booth looked confused, "What did you do exactly?" he asked hesitantly.

"We played with the ouija board." She said sheepishly.

Booth backed away from her, "Oh no. Don't even tell me…"

Angela shook her head, "Well I knew she wouldn't listen to me!" she explained.

"If she finds out that you moved that stupid wooden piece of wood to coerce her, Angela. She's going to kill you."

"And you!" she said, "You're the one who wanted her to adopt the kid!"

"Why the heck did she even believe that thing? She's a scientist, for goodness sake!" Angela's sheepish look went even more sheepish, "No… Angela… what did you do?" he asked weakly, not sure if he could handle any more.

"I may have made her believe we were talking to her mother." She shrugged.

Booth sat down on the artist's couch and rested his head in his hands, "What kind of friend are you?" he asked.

"The best kind. You know that she wouldn't have agreed to do it if she genuinely didn't want to. She just needed a push in the right direction. Plus, she decided all on her own to ask you for joint custody. You're just lucky I didn't make the board say that she should get it on with you."

Booth breathed a heavy sigh, "Well, in all fairness I did ask you to 'convince her to foster Lila'. I never told you how to do it." He said shaking his head.

"Damn straight. So that means you still owe me dinner." She smiled and crossed her arms.

"Sure." He said, "Meet me at Nolita's tomorrow at seven." He half smiled and stood.

Just at that moment, Brennan stuck her head into Angela's office, "You ready to go Booth?" she asked innocently.

Booth shook his head, "I'm right behind you, Bones." He smiled.

"That's an expression, meaning that you're ready, correct?" she asked.

Booth snorted and nodded, "Yeah, Bones."

**May 19****h****, 2009: 03:30 pm; The George Washington University Hospital**

When Booth and Brennan arrived at the hospital, they found their suspect moved into a secure room guarded by two agents and handcuffed to his bed. Booth handed the two Agents Starbucks coffee before walking into the hospital room.

Booth took his badge off of his belt buckle and flashed it at Seymour, "Special Agent Booth and this is my partner…"

"Doctor Temperance Brennan." Seymour said amusedly, "I know who you are, Agent Booth. He talked about you as he was smashing my face in." he sneered.

"He?" Booth asked, "The man who put you in here?"

Seymour nodded, "I'm glad you put those men outside my door. I feel much safer with them here. I never knew that the FBI was so accommodating." He smiled innocently.

Booth took a step towards the hospital bed and leaned over Seymour, "They aren't here for you, Seymour. They're here to protect everyone else from you." He said smugly, "Specifically the young women."

Seymour's facial expression immediately changed, "I don't know what you mean Agent Booth."

"It's okay, Seymour. I don't need your confession as I have DNA evidence on your first victim, Taylor Thomas."

"Taylor Thomas? I don't know anyone by that name. Perhaps that young man who tortured me, planted my DNA on her?" he nodded, as though he were convinced of his own argument.

Brennan stepped forward, "Actually, that's unlikely as we found your skin cells and hair deeply imbedded under her fingernails. The only possible way that evidence could have gotten there is if she scratched your skin very violently, Mr. Freed."

Seymour shrugged, "Que Sera Sera. I want my lawyer."

Booth leaned back and smiled, "That's fine, Seymour." He said sarcastically, "We're taking you down." Booth confirmed and then left the room.

Brennan looked at Seymour who was smiling at her. She raised an eyebrow at him, "Don't look at me like that. I can break your wrist in three places, Bucco."

As she turned to leave, she heard Seymour call out, "Doctor Brennan?" he said. She turned for a moment and he leaned forward in his bed, "This man who put me here; he gave me a message for Agent Booth."

Brennan turned fully and looked at him, "Yes? What is it?"

"Ask your brother."

"Ask my brother what?"

Seymour rolled his eyes, "Not your brother, Doctor Brennan. His brother."

"Jared? Ask him what?"

Seymour huffed, "I have no idea." He said shaking his head, "I was going for a menacing thing and then you had to start asking all of these questions and ruined it. Don't you watch movies?"

Brennan shook her head, "I don't watch television." She said, "But I'll tell him." She shrugged.

"Yeah." He said disappointedly, "Whatever."

When she stepped outside of the hospital room, Booth immediately took her by the arm and dragged her out of the hospital, "What the hell were you thinking staying in that room?" he asked, "When I leave, you leave, Bones."

"You walked out so suddenly and then I was just… stuck there."

"What were you talking about with him?" he asked.

Brennan took her arm out of his grasp and stopped in the middle of the parking lot, "He asked me to give you a message from the man who beat him up." She said.

"What was it?" he asked.

"He said to ask your brother."

Booth stopped for a moment a thought about it and then the truth hit him like a bus;

"_He was beaten to a pulp, Booth, and a sign taped to him. What the hell is going on?"_

_Booth raised his eyebrows, "What did it say?" he asked._

"_Trust me, Sergeant Booth. That's what the damned thing said. And you're lucky that I found him before word got out to the press that there was a captive being held outside of the FBI building."_

"No, no, no, no." Booth mumbled to himself, bringing his hands to his head.

"Booth, what is it?" she said, immediately coming to his side and placing her hands on his bicep and back for comfort.

"The sign." He said, "The stupid sign, Bones."

"What sign? Are you talking about a sign from God?" she asked, desperately trying to understand.

Booth looked up at her accusingly, "No!" he said increduosly, "Sign from God? The sign around his neck, Bones!"

Brennan shook her head, "What did it say?" she asked.

"It said 'Trust me, Sergeant Booth'. I should have realized it the moment that Cullen told me. God damnit!" he screamed kicking the tire of his SUV.

"Well what about Jared, Booth?"

Booth stopped and looked her in the eyes, "I asked him this afternoon, Bones and that he didn't know a damned thing!"

"He lied to you? Why would he lie to you?" she asked.

"Because he's hiding something, Bones. Something that he really doesn't want me to know."

"What does this mean, Booth?" she asked.

"It means that the man who beat the crap out of Seymour Freed, our Serial Killer is the same man who has been contacting me about my past." He said shaking his head, "And that also means… that I might really not be able to trust my brother."

Brennan stood for a moment and looked at him; he was clearly in distress and pacing back and forth. Within seconds she pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He tried to wriggle out of her grasp but she was relentless. She held him so tightly that he ended up falling to the ground and Brennan landed on top of him and still refused to relinquish her grip on him. Slowly, his arms began to make their way across her back until he was holding her to him. He rolled onto his side, and brought her with him and they lay on the ground, tucked between his Sequoia and a Ford Explorer they silently agreed that no one would know that he cried.


	26. May 19th, 2009: 05:00 pm

**May 19****th****, 2009: 05:00 pm; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

Booth leaned against the wall in the hallway of his apartment building while Brennan unlocked his door. His eyes were closed and still red and swollen which officially was from an eye irritation from allergies and was unofficially caused by an hour of tears in his partner's arms on the ground of the parking lot outside the hospital.

Brennan was at a loss. She felt absolutely helpless in this situation. She had always viewed her partner as this impenetrable force to be reckoned with. Granted, that image of him crumbled a bit when she believed that he had been dead for two weeks, but almost immediately after that, it had only proved to her that he was indeed what she had always believed him to be; the strongest person she knew.

After all of the times that he had held her and consoled her for one reason or another; all of the times that he had given her hope in the dimmest of circumstances, he now stood before her a broken man and all she wanted to do was to be able to fix it and it was the only thing that she couldn't do.

She led him into his apartment and slowly into his bedroom where she removed his suit jacket from him before he crawled into his bed. She looked at the crumpled man before her and sighed, holding back the tears that were welling in her eyes because it's not what he needed right now. The last thing she wanted at this moment was for him to misinterpret her tears of sorrow and empathy for tears of pity. She held her breath for a moment and felt her tears recede before leaning over the bed and taking his foot into her hands and unlacing the shoes that she knew caused him added pain everyday. The pain that he incurred almost fifteen years ago was still causing him pain today not only in this awful situation that he was dealing with but with the echo of every footfall it stayed with him like a constant reminder that he would never be the same man he used to be; his life had been drastically altered and Brennan knew that deep down that when this truth surfaced, when they knew the entire story, the results would be disastrous.

After both shoes were removed, she stood and walked around to the other side of the bed and took his hand in her own. His almost vacant eyes wandered over to her own and the ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, "Thank you." He said simply.

Brennan forced a smile, "You would do it for me."

"Can you just… lay here with me for a while?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "Of course, but first I want to go grab some clothing from my apartment." She said.

Booth squinted at her, "Please don't."

Brennan bit her lip and stood, "I'll be back in a few minutes and I promise… I will lie here all night with you, Booth."

He held her hand tighter, "Bones, please."

"I'll be back before you know it, Booth." She said, leaning over and giving him a short kiss on the forehead.

She pulled herself away from him before he could convince her to stay and quickly left the apartment. She got into his SUV and drove through the streets of DC until she got to her apartment. She quickly grabbed an emergency bag out of her front closet and ran out of her apartment before making it back to the SUV.

The truth was that she didn't need the extra clothing. She knew that she couldn't tell Booth what her true intentions were despite the fact that he probably already knew. When she arrived at her destination, she parked the car and got out.

She could see him sitting there at the bar through the glass window. He gulped down the last of his scotch and gestured to the bartender that he wanted another and turned back to the woman who was seated next to him and gaily laughing at something he just said to her. It infuriated Brennan that he could be so calm while his brother, the man whom he shared DNA with was practically paralyzed in grief.

She entered the establishment and walked up to Jared with a look of disdain. Jared looked at her and knew immediately that something was wrong and that he was being blamed, "Oh God. What now? Are you going to push me off the stool again?"

The woman next to him looked between the two of them, "Ex-girlfriend?" she asked.

Brennan glared at the woman, "Go away." Was all she said in an intimidating tone.

The woman looked at Jared who nodded comfortingly to her to follow Brennan's direction. She slid of her barstool and grabbed her purse and moved to the other end of the bar hastily.

Brennan walked up to Jared until she was literally nose to nose with him, "You lied to him." She said in a low and threatening voice.

Jared closed his eyes and scooted back on his barstool, "I don't know what you're talking about." He stated.

"Of course you know what I'm talking about." She said, stepping closer to him still.

"You're going to have to be more specific Tempe." He said raising an eyebrow at her.

"He's your blood Jared. He's the only person who ever looked out for you and you repay him by lying to him?" she accused.

"I repay him by protecting him and saving his life." He countered back.

Brennan tilted her head, "Protecting him?"

"The gravedigger."

"No." she said shaking her head, "That isn't what you meant."

"Yes it is, Tempe." He said gravely.

"No…" she said almost disbelievingly, "There really is something that you aren't saying. You really do know something about this group."

"There is no such group, Tempe. Seeley is the victim of a conspiracy nut convincing him of nonsense."

"I don't understand…" Brennan said.

"It happens quite often, Tempe. Conspiracy theorists more nutty than that Hodgins guy can be quite convincing." He said.

"That's not what I meant Jared." She yelled, "What I don't understand is how you could choose the government over the only other person who has ever given a damn about you."

"I'm not." He argued, taking a swig of his refreshed drink and slamming it down on the bar, "I love my brother."

Brennan nodded, "Apparently not enough." She said, turning to walk out.

Jared grabbed her arm tightly and spun her around, "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Tempe!"

Brennan pulled her arm from his tight grasp and pushed him hard in the chest, "Go to hell Jared!" She yelled.

Brennan stormed through the glass plated doors of the bar and stopped herself when she reached the curb. She put her hands on her lower back and took a large breath in and out to calm herself down and despite an urgent need to; she was trying to prevent herself from going back into the bar and beating the crap out of Booth's brother.

Everything that was happening was beginning to become more and more intolerable for her. This was utter nonsense. Had Hodgins been right all along about conspiracy theories? And if so, which of the millions he spouted on about were actually true? That thought alone sent shivers up her spine. Some of the things that Hodgins had told her and her fellow colleagues about were absolutely unfathomable. If the government could keep something life alter from one of their most patriotic soldiers who had a fairly high clearance in the FBI, then what were they keeping from the mere citizens of the country? What was this secret that they were keeping from Booth and potentially thousands of other soldiers? And more importantly; what did Jared know and how did he know it?

Before Brennan had a chance to turn around and go back into the bar, her cell phone rang. Aggrivatedly, she dug the device out of her pocket and flipped it open, "Brennan."

"Doctor Brennan? This is Sarah Stever from DCS."

Brennan sighed, "Hello Ms. Stever. What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to call you so late, but I was in the middle of something and before I knew it, it was time to go home and I hadn't called you yet." Sarah laughed.

"I know how that goes." Brennan half heartedly joked.

"I was just calling to let you know that the board received both you and your partner's paperwork and they have awarded you both temporary custody of Lila Simmonds."

Brennan genuinely smiled for the first time that day, "That's wonderful."

"You can pick her up tomorrow if you like, Doctor Brennan."

Brennan jogged across the street to Booth's SUV and got inside, "Yes, that would be wonderful. Can we also drop off our paperwork for adoption at that time?" she asked.

"Doctor Brennan," Sarah started seriously, "I would advise you in this circumstance to give yourself a trial period with Lila. Foster children take a while to adjust to new family life and you may find that it doesn't work out."

Brennan cleared her throat, "With all due respect Ms. Stever, I don't plan on returning Lila like a household appliance. I myself was in the foster care system and found it disheartening every time a family sent me away. Regardless of whether or not our personalities clash, I will care for Lila like she is my own. I doubt that any biological mother would give up their child for personality differences. I would like to adopt Lila as soon as possible as long as that is alright with her."

Ms. Stever stayed silent for a moment before responding, "You are a remarkable woman, Doctor Brennan. I'll be sure to tell the board that when I give my own recommendation."

Brennan smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Stever."

"Call me Sarah, Doctor Brennan. I'll see you tomorrow."

**May 19****th****, 2009: 06:43 pm; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

When he heard his partner re-enter his apartment, he hit the send button on his cell phone and closed it. He had only moved centimeters since she left and those movements only came in the last few minutes before he arrival. He heard her enter into his bathroom and turn on the light switch, and then moments later, turn off the switch and enter into his bedroom.

He didn't look up at her when she came into the room, but in his peripheral vision, he could see that the pajama pants that she was wearing were far too big for her, and the tank top just a tad too small.

She walked around to the edge of the bed which he faced and he finally looked into her eyes, "Where did you go?" he asked, still holding his cell phone in his hand.

"Who did you call?" she asked.

"I didn't call anyone. I sent a text." He replied coolly.

"I went to my apartment to pack some clothes for the night." She said climbing into bed next to him and wriggling under the sheets.

"No, you didn't."

"It's not important, Booth." She sighed and settled in next to him.

Just then, his cell phone beeped and he flipped it open to read the message. Brennan attempted to read it as well, but he pulled the phone away from her eye line, "It's nothing important, Bones." He whispered.

"Then why can't I know?" she asked.

"I might tell you if you tell me where you just went." He said shutting his phone and dropping it into his nightstand drawer on his side of the bed.

Brennan sighed, "Did you put spy cams in my apartment?" she asked.

Booth smiled in a small way and closed his eyes, "No."

"Then you have no proof that I wasn't at my apartment."

"Except for the fact that it only takes fifteen minutes to get to your apartment."

"The rest of the time was spent packing, Booth."

Booth reached under the covers of the bed and grabbed the side of her pajama pants, "These are mine." He said simply.

Brennan smiled and pushed his hand away, "Your point being?"

"You keep these pajama pants in a bag in your closet by the front door along with spare bathroom amenities and clothing when we have to go out of town for a case."

Brennan's smile faltered and she remained silent, knowing that he was right. After the silence between them became too difficult for her to bare, she rolled onto her side to study his face, "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Booth opened his eyes and looked at her, "Like you're the only person in the world that I can trust… despite the fact that you just lied to me." He smiled.

"I only lied so you wouldn't get upset." She whispered.

Booth brought his hand up to her head and ran his fingers through her hair. That act alone sent shivers throughout her body and he immediately drew her in closer to his body to fend off the non-existent cold that was plaguing her body, "I know where you went." He said.

"How?"

"I just know, Bones. I'm not angry. I appreciate it."

"I hate him, Booth. I know you love him, but I hate him." She said, her jaw becoming tight at the words that spilled from her mouth.

Booth continued running his hands through her hair without pause, "I know, Bones. But he's my brother."

She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment before remembering the phone call she had earlier, "I have some good news." She said in quite excitement.

Booth moved closer to her in the bed and rested his head against her shoulder, "Yeah?"

"We have temporary custody of Lila. We can bring her home tomorrow." She smiled.

Booth lifted his head and smiled back at her, "God works in mysterious ways." He laughed.

Brennan crinkled her nose, "I'm going to be considerate of your belief system." She stated monotonously.

Booth snorted, "Thanks, Bones."

"Do you have all of your recommendations yet?" she asked.

Booth nodded, "Yeah, Cullen, Charlie and Rebecca emailed them to me. I just have to print them all out."

Brennan nodded, "Mine are already with the adoption packet. I'll bring it by DCS tomorrow morning."

"Should we take the day off tomorrow. Ya know, get her settled in?" he asked.

"Yeah." Brennan said thoughtfully, "I was thinking that it would be a good idea to have her pick out all of her clothing, toys and furniture so that she feels comfortable in her surroundings."

Booth picked up his head again and looked her in the eyes, "That sounds like an amazing idea, Bones." He said, leaning in and giving her and extended kiss on the cheek. After discussing the next days activities for a while, Booth and Brennan fell into a deep and uninterrupted sleep entwined together in Booth's bed.


	27. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 04:22 am

****

WARNING!!! SLIGHT SMUTTINESS... I'm really not good at smut. I find that when the subject matter makes me uncomfortable that I tend to use large words and metaphors. I did what I could *shrugs*. Normally I would just allude to the sex but not actually write it, but I felt like, in this story, barely anything is left out and I think that there would be a disconnect without it.

I hope you like this chapter... Wait, who am I kidding? Booth and Brennan are all hot and steamy, of course you'll like it!

ENJOY

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**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 04:22 am; The Apartment of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

Brennan reached for the warmth that was just there next to her. No matter how far she reached, it was gone. She groaned and rolled over onto her back. She heard a soft chuckling and slowly opened her eyes to see Booth leaning against the door in a pair of pajama pants similar to the ones she currently was wearing and a white undershirt, "Miss me already?" he asked.

Brennan smiled and flushed a little, "Not at all. In my haze of sleep I was simply trying to find the warmth that was present throughout the night."

"Whatever you say, Bones." He said rolling his eyes, "We still have a few hours before we actually have to wake up. I called us both out of work for the day already." He said moving back to the bed and sliding in next to her.

Brennan sighed and instinctually curled up next to him again, "We should get up. We slept for…" she turned to look at his alarm clock, "nearly twelve hours." She groaned putting her hand to her head.

Booth smiled and weaved his arm between her head and the pillow, "We deserve to catch up on sleep after all of the sleepless nights we've had."

"Actually, Booth, it's impossible to 'catch up' on sleep…" she started.

Booth groaned, "I know that already, Bones."

"Oh." She said letting her head fall back onto his shoulder, "Did you shower already?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he laughed, "I smelled pretty bad."

Brennan laughed, "Seeley Booth smell bad? Never!" she said sarcastically.

"You're just entranced by my pheromones, Bones. Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it." He said in a sing song voice.

Brennan giggled, "I'm surprised by your knowledge of pheromones."

"Well, despite common belief, I'm not just a dumb jock. I managed a few A's and B's in my time."

"Either through tutors or cheating." She laughed out loud.

Booth mocked offense, "I'll have you know that I never cheated to earn my grades, Bones. I'm not a super genius like you but…"

Brennan's laugh died out, "You never cheated?" she asked, "Statistically speaking, Booth…" she started.

"Never cheated a day in my life." He stated, "Wait… there was one time in third grade that I did, but that was the only time."

Brennan laughed, "I knew you cheated!"

Booth looked over at her and was stunned by her appearance. Her hair was mussed and she had sleep lines on her face, but she was still gorgeous; at least in his eyes, she was. When her fit of laughter began to decline, she noticed him looking at her. She stared back at him, still catching her breath and smiling widely, "What are you looking at?" she asked. All he did was shake his head so she asked again, "Booth. What?"

"Everything is turning to shit, Bones. Right beneath my feet." He said solemnly, but maintaining a small smirk on his face.

Brennan turned on her side to look into his eyes more clearly and brought her hands up to her chest which gently brushed against his arm that was still resting around her shoulders, "Not everything, Booth."

"What isn't, Bones?" he asked.

"Parker, Lila…" she listed, "And there are some things…" she said diverting her eyes, "Some good things that are beginning to happen that perhaps should have happened years ago."

Booth brought his free hand up to her face and gently rubbed her temple with his thumb before running his fingers through her hair. He loved the way it felt running through his fingers. It was silky and smooth but most importantly, it smelled like her. For a long time, that was the only thing that he could keep of her. After running his fingers through her hair or just gently touching it without her knowing, the scent would remain with him throughout the entirety of a day, keeping him going. It was a scent that could exhilarate him, belittle him, calm him and cure him with a single whiff.

As he looked into her eyes, the only emotion that he could gather from her was a form of consent. To what? He didn't know; but he had a feeling it was the one thing that could heal all of his wounds that had been inflicted, no matter how deep the scars were.

"Bones?" was all he whispered before she finally lunged across the gap to meet his lips with her own.

He hadn't expected this to happen, but he had also seen it coming from miles away. It was an experience not unlike his first kiss; tentative, cautious, nerve wracking and absolutely amazing. They were both completely and acutely aware of each other's bodies in those moments where small passionate and innocent kisses, soft lips meeting and learning how to interact with one another. When Booth could finally comprehend that he was indeed kissing the girl of his dreams, he opened his mouth to hers and she gave herself willingly and completely over to his silent request.

Brennan pulled herself closer to Booth so that their bodies were completely flush with each other. She dug her fingers into his hair on the nape of his neck and his hands traveled down the clothed expanse of her torso and grasped firmly onto the sides of her waist. As they began becoming conscious of their lack of oxygen, Booth kissed his way passionately down her neck as she gasped for breath. He finally looked up at her and their eyes met. For a moment their minds were completely blank. They couldn't remember where they were at the moment nor what they did for a living or any other significant detail of their lives because in that moment, all that existed was themselves and the person in front of them.

In ragged breaths he said, "Are you sure that this is what you want?"

Brennan looked into his eyes before whispering, "I don't think I've ever wanted anything more." And before her sentence was even complete, Booth began helping her get her shirt off.

He impatiently grabbed her lips once again with his own, pulling her impossibly closer to himself. Brennan's hands that were still around his neck, reached down and pulled his shirt up on his back. They separated, only for a moment, to remove his shirt as well and then latched onto each other again.

He rolled on top of her and pulled back, studying her face. Her chest was heaving and her eyes hooded. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear before diving down to kiss his way down her neck and finally to her right nipple. Her head snapped back suddenly in ecstasy. She could never have imagined that being with Booth, her partner and best friend of four years could be so widely erotic and yet tame at the same time.

Of course, she had pictured being with him in the past, but what she was currently feeling was making her fantasy feel standard. She slowly rubbed her thighs together to ease some of the tension that was accumulating between her legs and accidentally brushed against his surprisingly firm arousal. He growled at the contact and bit down on her a little harder causing her to moan loudly, which only set him off even more. He quickly licked his way across the valley between her breasts and gave her other nipple the exact same meticulous treatment that the other received.

Quickly becoming impatient, Brennan reached down and shed both her large borrowed pajama pants and panties in one smooth motion and tossed them carelessly to the side of the bed and then swiftly reached for the waistband of Booths. Before she could get a grip on them, he grabbed her hands and looked up at her, "Patience, Bones."

Brennan shook her head vigorously and leaned up into his face, "I have waited for god damn years, Booth. I don't want to wait any longer." She growled.

She pushed his hand away from hers and violently pushed his pants down his legs. Booth couldn't help but smile a little at the very tempestuous Bones in his bed. He kicked off his pants underneath the covers and kissed her heatedly again, "Bones always gets what she wants." He said between kisses.

She smiled and flipped him over onto his back and raised her eyebrow, "I most certainly do." She said grabbing his arousal and guiding it toward her entrance. Without another moments hesitation, she lowered herself onto him.

Her breath immediately became ragged and her head dropped forward and rested on her chest. Booth ran his hands up her sides and pulled her down on top of him and turned his head into her neck, "You okay?" he whispered.

She turned her head and slowly kissed his cheek and responded, "I am." And they began to move in synchronicity. They had both had sexual relationships with others in the past, but this, what they were doing together in this bed was beyond that. To a certain extent, Booth had to admit to himself, Brennan was right. Sex was about satisfying biological imperatives; the entire act was innately selfish. What they were partaking in however, as trite as it was to say the words 'making love', was completely and singularly focused on the two of them. It was impossible to define it as anything else because their sole focus was on not only the physical intimacy of the situation, but also the memories that came to mind of the their time together in the midst of all of it.

A faint hint of his cologne brought memories to her mind that was once long forgotten; the sound of her voice echoing every derisive comment, sweet laugh and bewildered expression. Every touch, every glance that they had shared was completely culminated in this declarative act to each other.

As their movements became more frantic and their voices became louder they both came to the realization that this was it; they never wanted to be this intimate with anyone else, ever again, and in the way that their eyes met at their moment of completion was a silent signed contract between the pair.

Brennan arched her back and screamed, bringing Booth with her. Their bodies soaked in each other's sweat and bare skin sliding against each other as the last of their passion, for the moment at least, seeped from their bodies.

They remained in their position, catching their breath, Booth still held tightly to Brennan's chest. With one hand, Brennan brought her right hand around the back of her head and pushed the hair that was stuck to her sweaty neck away. After catching his breath, Booth kissed Brennan's collar bone lightly before hesitantly searching for her eyes. Brennan's head rested on his shoulder, her face turned towards his and her eyes peacefully held shut. He brushed some more wet hair away from her brow and ran his index finger along her jaw line, "Bones?" he whispered. Brennan answered in a single soft hum, "You asleep?" he asked. Again, she faintly hummed in response. He smiled and rolled over and gently placed her on the bed and slipped out of her, taking a minute to look at the beautiful woman next to him. He smiled happily and let his hand trace down the side of her neck to her arm and finally down the curve of her hip. Then, without indecision, he pulled her closer to him and rested his head atop of hers and she unconsciously turned into him, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 9:27 am; D.C. Division of Child Services and Support**

Booth pulled up outside of DCS with Brennan after quickly purchasing two cups of coffee at a Starbucks near his apartment. The ride over was unusually silent, at least to Booth it was. He parallel parked infront of the building and turned off the ignition and stayed silent for a moment.

He looked over at Brennan and noticed that she was holding the adoption papers tightly to her chest and was gazing wide eyed at the building in front of them, "Nervous?" he asked.

Brennan looked over at him and shrugged, "Not really."

Booth nodded, "Are we going to talk about what happened this morning?"

Brennan furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "This morning?" she asked.

Booth began panicking. Had it all been a very very vivid dream? No, because they woke up naked in bed together, "Ya know… about… what we did." He said suggestively.

"Fornicate?" she asked abruptly.

"Very indelicate of you, Bones." He said shaking his head.

Brennan finally cracked a smile, "I'm sorry. I just… I feel silly saying 'making love'."

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?"

"How do you feel about it?" he asked, feeling rather effeminate for it.

Brennan stared at him for a moment before understanding what he meant, "Oh! You think I regret it." She stated.

"Do you?" he asked, finally looking at her again.

Brennan turned to him and dropped the files into her lap, "Booth?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"About this morning, I enjoyed 'making love' to you very much. And for the record, I would really enjoy doing it again as soon as possible. Perhaps again tonight would be alright with you? And perhaps, for the rest of your life span?" she asked, once again, indelicately.

"My life span?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "Studies show that men often have a shorter life span than most women."

"That's… a lovely thought, Bones." He said sarcastically.

"It's a fact, Booth. I'm sorry if that bothers you." She shrugged and opened the door to get out.

Booth quickly reached for her and she stopped and turned back to him, "So what you're saying is that you want to be in a monogamous relationship with me?"

Brennan smiled, "You just got that now?" she laughed.

Booth smiled, "Yes…" he admitted sheepishly, "My mind doesn't work as fast as yours."

Brennan smiled more widely, "It's a fact, Booth. Now let's go! We don't want to keep her waiting."

With that, Booth and Brennan vacated the vehicle and made their way into the DCS building. It was just as crowded this time as the last and Brennan still had the sickly feeling that she had the first time, but not nearly as bad as she and Booth were going to do something about it this time.

They weaved their way through the maze of desks and finally ended up at Sarah Stever's office door which was propped open this time with a chair. Booth knocked on the door frame and stuck his head in the door.

Sarah Stever's head popped up from behind her desk and she smiled, "Come in! Come in!" she said standing up and waving them in. Booth and Brennan walked into the office and were slightly disheartened not to see Lila. Sarah brushed off the front of her shirt and smiled at them, "Sorry, lost my last pencil in the heating duct." She said shrugging.

Brennan looked around the room quickly, "Where is Lila?" she asked.

Ms. Stever walked around her desk, "She's waiting for you. Come with me." She said, exiting her office.

Booth and Brennan followed behind quickly, anticipating their meeting with Lila. Brennan, still holding the adoption papers firmly in her arms appeared even more nervous now than she had beforehand. Booth noticed this and wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her into his side comfortingly. She smiled up at him graciously and rested her head momentarily on his shoulder. Through the glass window in the stark room, Brennan and Booth could see Lila sitting at a small metal table with a page from a coloring book in front of her. She colored in the lines with a led pencil with her head propped up on her hand. Her blonde hair was a little less curly than it was the last time that they saw her and she was dressed in a green shirt and jeans with make-shift fairy wings laced onto her back.

Brennan's smiled widely and moved to go in the door, but Sarah stopped her, "Before you go in, I should inform you of Lila's current biological family status. I believe that when you were here last, I told you that her parents had disappeared?" Brennan nodded and Sarah continued, "They left Lila with a babysitter and never returned. That was two years ago, when she was four years old. She has been with us all that time. About a year ago, the remains of her parents were found just outside of DC. It turns out that they had gone hiking that day without telling the babysitter where they were going. Her mother apparently tripped and started to fall and her father reached out to grab her, but the force of the fall; she ended up taking him with her instead. They laid out there alive for almost a week before finally passing. There was a funeral and Lila does know that they are dead, but seeing as how she is so young, I'm not sure that she fully grasps the concept of death yet."

Brennan couldn't verbalize any words for the horrific story, so Booth stepped forward and put his hand's on her shoulders, "We understand, Ms. Stever. Thank you for informing us." He said softly.

Sarah nodded and opened the door and stepped inside the room, "Lila? There is someone here to see you."

Brennan and Booth stepped inside the room and took the seats across the table from the little girl. Lila looked up at them and smiled, "You're the tall lady." She said, twirling the pencil in her hands.

Brennan nodded and laughed, "Yes, I am, Lila. And this is my…" she started, but then looked at Booth for help.

"Boyfriend, Seeley." He said indecisively.

Lila merely smiled at him and then looked down at the picture. She turned it around and pushed it towards Brennan, "It's a princess." She said, pointing at the picture with the tip of the pencil.

Brennan studied the picture with an appraising eye, "She's very pretty." Brennan confirmed.

"You can keep her if you wanna."

Brennan smiled, "Thank you, Lila. That was very nice of you." She said laying the picture back on the table in front of her.

"Are you my new mommy and daddy?" she asked, her smile fading slightly.

Booth and Brennan looked at each other and then Booth answered, "We can't replace your mommy and daddy, Lila, but you can come stay with us if you like."

Lila nodded, "For how long?"

"However long you want to." Brennan answered.

Lila was apparently very adept for someone of the age of six, Booth thought to himself. Parker at that age was more interested in candy and cartoons, but he assumed that that was because Lila was forced into a situation very early in life in which one had to grow up fairly quickly. The girl wriggled in her seat and looked back to where Ms. Stever was sitting by the door and then back at Booth, "Are you going to give me back too?"

"Absolutely not." Booth answered, "We won't send you back ever unless you want to."

"I've been in a bunch of different houses. They always say their my new mommy and daddy but then they send me away." She said on the verge of tears.

Brennan immediately stood from her seat and walked around the table and hesitantly put her hand on Lila's back. In a quick motion, Lila stood up on her chair and flung herself into Brennan's arms and wrapped her legs around her waist. Brennan's eyes were stunned, but her body language immediately adapted to the child. She rubbed Lila's back and bounced her up and down on her hip and shushed in her ear to calm her. After a few minutes, when Lila's tears subsided Brennan whispered in her ear, "I can give you proof that we'll never send you away. Would you like to see it?"

Lila nodded her head as her silent tears rolled down her puffy red cheeks. Brennan walked her over to the other side of the table and Booth spread open the adoption files for her to see, "Would it be okay if we adopt you?" Booth asked as Brennan bent over slightly so that Lila could see the papers.

"You aren't mean, are you?" she asked.

Booth stood up and walked over to the pair, "That is an excellent question." He said digging around in his pockets, "Have you ever seen one of these?" he asked, taking his badge out of his back pocket.

Lila grabbed it and studied the golden badge and touching its curves with her fingers, "You're a police man?" she asked.

Booth nodded, "That's right." Lila looked at each of them again and stayed silent, "How about this." Booth proposed, "We're going shopping today so that you can pick out new clothes and things for your room and you're going to meet Parker, my son, today after school too. So at the end of the day you can give us your decision?"

Lila looked between the pair again and then nodded and stuck her hand out to the Agent, "It's a deal." She said proudly.

Booth smiled at Brennan and then took the little hand in his own, "Deal."

Booth gathered up the files and gave them to Ms. Stever with direct orders that she not file them until a confirmation from Lila had been made. After that, Booth and Brennan left the building with Lila between them holding each one of their hands.


	28. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 11:45 am

**HAPPY BONESDAY! **

**Sorry about the delay... work work work. But here is a long chapter to make up for it!!**

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**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 11:45 am; Target**

After having purchased bedroom furniture, which was all white rustic furniture and a canopy bed which Lila was absolutely crazy over. She was surprised that Booth and Brennan let her have this kind of furniture, especially considering the fact that most of the homes that she went to previously forced her into pre-furnished bedrooms with creatively stifling furniture.

After Booth convinced Brennan that going to buy Lila expensive and "good quality" clothing was a mistake, they ended up at the neighborhood target to pick out her clothing and toys.

Lila ran through the automatic doors ahead of the smiling couple and jumped up and down a few times shouting, "Hurry up!" as her little body was unable to contain all of her excitement for new toys. Her little fairy wings bobbed up and down sadly as they were make-shift and bent from vigorous usage in the past.

She turned around again and ran toward the clothing section but was stopped by Booth's warning voice, "Lila, don't run!"

She winced and turned to face her foster parents and was once again, surprised to find the two of them smiling and giggling rather than looking angry. She quirked her head to the side and waited for them to catch up, "Why do you do that all the time?" she asked when they stopped in front of her.

"Do what?" Brennan asked, glancing at Booth.

"You always smile. Both of you." She said, raising her tiny hand and pointing at their faces, "Even when I just ran and you yelled; you're still smiling." She said in apparent confusion.

Booth crouched down to her height and looked her in the eyes, "We're smiling because we're happy that you're with us, Lila."

Lila paused and thought this over before responding, "But I did a bad thing!" she tried to reason.

Booth looked up at Brennan and then back at the adorable little girl; or fairy, as she liked to be called, in front of him, "You made a mistake, Lila, it's no big deal." He shrugged, "I make mistakes all the time. So does, Bones." He said, gesturing to Brennan.

Lila's eyes suddenly got wider at the sound of the older woman's nick name, "Bones?" she said over-exaggeratedly and throwing her arms in the air, "My BONES make mistakes! That doesn't sound so good!"

Brennan snorted and Booth laughed heartily, "That's her nickname." He whispered to Lila.

"Oh!" she said relieved, "Cause I was gonna say that would not be good! Right?"

Booth nodded his head affirmatively, "Right!"

Brennan crouched down next to where Booth was, "Do you want to pick out some clothing now?" she asked.

Lila shrugged, "Okay." She said, before turning around and making her way down the aisle, grabbing things as she went.

Brennan and Booth stood and looked at each other. Booth smiled, "She's great, Bones. I love her already and we've only had her for…" he looked at his watch, "Two hours." He laughed.

Brennan sighed, "She is extremely imaginative, Booth. She is very much like Angela. Did you see the wings that she was wearing?"

Booth laughed, "They're hard to miss, Bones."

"It's evident that she made them herself, Booth. They're mostly pieces of cardboard strung together and colored with markers. It's very creative; and slightly depressing." She said, starting to walk down the aisle to keep her eyes on the little girl.

"We'll buy her a new pair Bones." He whispered in her ear, "We'll take better care of her than the foster system ever did." He assured her.

Brennan nodded, "I know that. It's just that she was in there for two years of her life. It's not as though she is going to forget those years. Did you see how she winced when you yelled after her?" Booth simply nodded, "It's absolutely ridiculous that someone could actually scare this little girl so much. What if that isn't the worst thing that she has been through, Booth?"

Booth stopped her from walking any farther and took her by the shoulders, "I don't think that's the case, Bones. She's an extremely interactive and lively little girl. I seriously doubt that she's had anything really horrific happen to her. However, if she starts showing classic symptoms of abuse then we'll have Sweets talk to her. Okay?"

Brennan nodded and stepped forward and leaned her head against his chest, "Thanks." She whispered.

Booth and Brennan were stirred out of their moment of peace when and small throat clearing sounded, alerting them of another presence. Booth and Brennan looked down to find little Lila, with her lopsided cardboard fairy wings standing behind a miniature shopping cart filled to the brim with frilly dresses and skirts and T-shirts with Mariposa, Tinkerbelle and Thumbelina emblazoned on the front. She looked at them with her curious and doe-like green eyes and simply said, "What's next?"

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 12:10 pm; Target**

As adorable as the sight of Lila with a tiny shopping cart full of super girly clothing was, both Brennan and Booth knew that she would need a few things that were slightly more practical than she would have picked out. So as Brennan and Lila wondered through the clothing aisles looking for socks, underwear and other necessary items that they were sure that Lila would refuse to wear, Booth took off for the toys section to see if they had a new set of fairy wings for the little girl, and also to get something for Parker that might make the meeting of his new sister a little easier to handle.

Booth had told Parker about Lila joining their family a few days ago, but he barely responded to it. When Booth broke the news, it was almost as though he had told Parker that he would be buying a new loaf of bread instead of adopting a little girl, which was why he was so nervous about the idea of Parker actually meeting Lila. He feared that when he was actually face to face with the little girl, he might become extremely defensive and possessive of him and maybe even Bones too.

He turned into the boy's toy aisle and came face to face with Veronica Vicks, the reporter who had practically harassed Bones at the crime scene. She looked up at him with wide eyes. Booth took a step back and shook his head, "You've got to be kidding me! You seriously followed me to target to get your damn story?" he said disbelievingly.

Veronica put her hands up defensively and backed away, "I swear to God. I didn't know you were going to be here. I'm buying my nephew and birthday present." She said, raising a tin case of Bakugan in the air to show him.

Booth exhaled and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, "What color?" he asked, gesturing to the tin.

Veronica shifted her eyes from him to the tin and back, "White."

"Any more?" he asked.

She tilted her head and smirked, "Three besides this one. Two for you and two for me?"

"Fine." He said grabbing two of the tins off of the shelf.

Veronica took the second tin off of the shelf, "I heard you caught the DC Strangler."

Booth nodded slightly, "Yup."

"Is it true that he was dumped outside of the FBI building, bloodied and bruised?" she asked.

Booth shrugged, "I didn't see it."

Veronica laughed, "Nice double talk, Agent Booth."

"Special." He corrected her.

"What are you doing here?" Brennan said from behind Booth, holding on to Lila's hand and glaring at Veronica.

Veronica smiled as Booth turned to look at Bones, who was obviously not just glaring at Veronica, "I'm buying presents for my nephew's birthday. Completely off the clock."

Brennan looked at Booth and he smiled, "I picked up presents for Parker." He said showing her the tins before tossing them in the normal sized shopping cart that Brennan most likely grabbed when all of the clothing would no longer fit inside the miniature one.

"Who is this cutie?" Veronica asked, noticing Lila.

Lila stepped forward and stuck out her hand, "I'm Lila."

Veronica grasped her hand and shook it firmly, "Hey Lila. I'm Veronica!"

Booth swiftly picked Lila up and away from Veronica and rested her on his hip. Lila, apparently very comfortable with this situation rested her head on his shoulder and he arms around his neck. Booth immediately felt a tightening in his heart when her tiny hands made their way around him.

Veronica looked very confused, "I thought you only had a son?" she asked.

"What? Did you do a background check on me?" he asked.

Veronica went to respond to his question when Lila cut her off, "They're my new mommy and daddy." She said

Veronica blinked a few times, mouth agape before looking over at a blushing Brennan, "I didn't know you two were together!" she said. Brennan looked as though she were about to contest the statement before looking over at Booth and closing her mouth abruptly, "That's so great. Congratulations." She said genuinely.

Booth smiled, "Thanks."

Brennan fought to suppress a smile, mainly because she didn't like Veronica, but she had to admit that 'off the clock' she seemed fairly tolerable, "Thank you." Was all she said, rolling the cart back and forth nervously.

Veronica smiled and shifted the Bakugan tins in her arms, "Well, I should get going. Lunch hour is almost over and I haven't actually eaten anything yet."

Booth nodded, "Bye."

Veronica smiled, "Bye Lila."

Lila waved and Veronica left quickly, removing herself from the situation. Once she was out of sight, Brennan began walking towards the girl's toy section. Booth quickly followed behind, Lila still wrapped around him. When they reached their destination, Booth planted Lila on the floor, "Okay, Lila-bug. Have at it." He smiled.

"How many can I get?" she asked.

Brennan crossed her arms, "Well, you're room is going to be pretty big." She said looking over at Booth.

Booth sighed, "I guess we just have to fill up the room." He shrugged.

Lila's eyes almost bugged out of her head, "I have to fill a whole room!" she screeched, either unsure of how to accomplish the task or overwhelmed with how many toys she was allowed.

Lila quickly scurried down the aisle and started grabbing things. Booth laughed watching the bouncing little girl showing them things in her frenzied way, holding up items and saying "This too?" after every item.

After ten minutes of watching the little girl run around Booth nudged Brennan, "I think we're going to need a bigger cart."

"Do you think that's really why she was here?" she asked.

Booth looked at her curiously, "What?"

"To buy a present for her nephew." She stated.

"Oh." Booth said, having completely forgotten about Veronica, "I don't know. I'm not sure why else she would have been here. The case is closed and there is nothing news worthy about a family going shopping at Target."

Brennan's eyes widened at his words, "Oh my." She said under her breath.

Booth turned to look at her and saw the shell-shocked expression on her face, "What's up, Bones?" he asked, despite the fact that he already knew what was on her mind.

Brennan shook her head, "It's just, I didn't really think of it like that. The fact that, you and I adopting Lila, would make a family. Make us a family."

Booth smiled, "We were a family before, Bones. Now, we have a new addition." He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Lila walked up to them, precariously carrying three Barbie dolls in her arms, "I think I got everything." She said, slightly out of breath.

Brennan gathered the dolls from her arms and tossed them in the shopping cart, which was overflowing with toys and clothing. Brennan looked at the heap and smiled, "Is there anything else we need?" she asked.

Booth scoffed, "Of course!" he said picking up Lila and passing her over to Brennan. Brennan instinctively planted the little girl on her hip just as she had earlier in the day and Lila wrapped her arms around Brennan's neck.

Booth pointed towards the entertainment section and said, "March." Then walked around the heavy cart that he was sure Brennan could no longer wrangle towards the Electronics section.

He knew that Lila would most likely not be interested in any gaming systems, much to his disappointment, but knew that this little fairy would definitely enjoy some princess movies. It was apparent that Lila had rarely if ever been introduced to the world of DVD's as she was moved quite often from house to house. So he took the honors of picking out a plethora of both classic and new fairytale movies that he knew that she would love, and Brennan would most likely hate.

"Are we done now?" Brennan said, becoming weary of shopping.

"Coloring Books!" Lila shouted, tossing her arms up in the air.

Booth smiled, "Aw, come on, Bones! Ya gotta get coloring books!" he said like a child.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "Are we done then?" she asked, bouncing Lila on her hip.

"What'dya say, Lila-bug?" he asked.

"School stuff!" she said excitedly.

Brennan smiled, "Yay school!"

Booth laughed and shook his head, "Oh no! I've surrounded myself with another egg-head!" he said, mocking misery.

"Eggs give you proteins." Lila said matter-of-factly.

Brennan's face lit up, "You like school?" she asked.

Lila nodded, "I'm good at everything at school." She said nodding her head vigorously.

Brennan's excitement for shopping seemed to grow at her words, "Okay then! Coloring books and then school supplies! And then we'll get some eggs to eat!" Brennan said to Lila.

"And broccoli's too!" Lila shouted.

"And steak!" Booth added. Brennan and Lila looked at him disapprovingly and he sighed, "Or just rabbit food." He muttered.

Brennan, with Lila in tow went to find coloring books while Booth pushed the ever increasingly heavy cart after them. They picked up a few standard Princess/Fairy coloring books and then made their way to the school supply section. Booth, in search of more entertaining things to do took off while Brennan and Lila picked out her (obviously Fairytale themed) school supplies. Once that was settled, Brennan and Lila began looking at backpacks.

"How about this one?" Brennan asked, holding up a bright pink Disney bag with Tinkerbelle on it. Lila scrunched her nose at it and Brennan, understand the symbol of dislike hung it back up and looked at another one, "How about this one?"

Lila shook her head, "It's gonna get it the way of my wings." She said sadly.

Brennan looked at the little girl's sad expression and hung the bag back up and knelt down next to her, "Right." She said. Normally she would have explained to the little girl that her wings were not in fact real and that she would have to stop wearing them eventually, especially considering that they were well worn and falling apart as it was. But there was a part of her that didn't want to disillusion the young girl. Creativity was something that shouldn't be stifled; at least, that's what Angela would say and besides that Lila was only six years old. She sighed and looked at the little girl, "You're right, a book bag would hurt your wings wouldn't it?" she asked.

Lila nodded, "They just don't make them for fairy's do they?" she shrugged.

Brennan giggled, "I guess not. But do you know what?"

"What?" she asked.

"I have a very good friend who specializes in fairy accessories." Brennan said.

Lila's expression lit up, "You do?"

Brennan nodded, "And maybe if you ask her nicely, she'll make you a special, one of a kind fairy book bag." She said.

"I'll ask so nicely, promise!" Lila said, practically begged.

"Okay." Brennan said taking her phone out of her purse and dialing Angela's number. When Angela picked up Brennan said, "Is this the fairy boutique?"

_"Bren? What are you talking about?" Angela said._

Brennan laughed, "I'd like to talk to Miss Angela concerning a fairy in need of a book bag for school. It seems standard book bags get in the way of her wings and she was wondering if she could have a special one made to avoid the problem." She said, explaining the problem so Angela wouldn't be so confused.

_"Oh my God! Brennan!" was all that Angela could say._

"Yes, I'll hold." She said. Brennan covered the mouth piece and whispered to Lila, "She's so busy making things for the fairies. You understand."

Lila nodded her head, eyes wide in anticipation, "She must be very busy."

_"She thinks she is a fairy? That is so adorable Bren! Let me talk to her!" Angela demanded. _

Without anyone knowing, Booth was standing at the end of the aisle watching the scene take place. He knew it was Angela on the other end of the line, for who else would be qualified to make a fairy-friendly book bag? He found the whole situation unbelievingly endearing; especially the fact that Brennan was encouraging Lila's fantasy. Not to mention the fact that Lila was now jumping up and down with a huge smile on her face.

"Miss Angela?" Brennan said.

_"PUT HER ON THE PHONE, BREN!" Angela screeched so loud that Booth could hear her from ten feet away._

Brennan smiled at Lila, "Okay, here is Lila the fairy." She said handing the phone to Lila.

"Hello?" Lila said timidly.

_"Lila? This is your Aunt Angela."_

Lila turned to Brennan, "She's my aunt too?" she asked. Brennan nodded_._

_"I hear that you're looking for a school bag?" she asked._

Lila nodded, "Yes ma'am."

_"Well I can certainly help you out, Lila. But I'm going to need you to come in to my fairy shop so that I can get all of the proper measurements."_

Lila whispered to Brennan, "She needs to measure me."

Brennan nodded, "Tell her okay."

"I can do that." Lila answered, "Thank you so much Aunt Angela."

_"No problem, sweetheart. Come by my shop as soon as you can, okay?"_

"Okay. Thank you." She said honestly.

_"Okay. Put your… Brennan back on the phone."_

Lila handed Brennan the phone again and jumped up and down a few times. Brennan got back on the phone with Angela and listened to her blabber on about how adorable the little girl sounded and how much she couldn't wait to meet her.

Lila spotted Booth at the end of the aisle and ran over to him, "Did you hear? Did you hear?" she asked.

Booth nodded excitedly, "Yup! That's so cool!" he said.

"I know, right? My own, one of a kind, fairy back pack. This is awesome!" She said, jumping up and down.

"Look at what else I found." Booth said, turning the box that he held in his hands. It was a new set of fairy wings. They were sheer and sparkling and multi-colored. Lila looked at the wings and touched the fabric, "These are prettier than mine." She said.

Booth smiled, "No. They're just a little more grown up. You're wings are very pretty, but you've gotten bigger, so I think it's time that you get some wings to fit a bigger fairy. Don't you think?" he asked.

Lila smiled, "This is the bestest day ever." She said.

"Yes it is." He affirmed.

After exchanging her old wings for her new wings, Booth scooped her up in his arms and put the box, containing the old wings in the cart as Brennan hung up the phone, "Are we done shopping?" she asked.

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 1:15 pm; Parking lot of Target**

Lila couldn't stop bouncing up and down as she watched Booth and Brennan pack all of her new things inside the SUV. The pile blocked the rear window completely and they had to start loading things up in the backseat in order to get everything inside. Booth strategically placed the last Barbie box into the car and shut the door with a flourish, "I knew that I would get it all to fit!" he said.

Brennan rolled her eyes, "Congratulations on fulfilling your one Alpha Male act of the day."

Booth walked towards her, "Hey, I've been surrounded by girls and their girly things all day. I need to compensate somehow."

"If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure you have no reason to compensate." She said suggestively.

Booth raised his eyebrows at her, "Well, well. Finally fallen victim to the Seeley Booth charm, I see?"

Brennan laughed, "Don't get ahead of yourself."

"I'm so hungry!" Lila said, drawing their attention again.

"You are?" Booth said in an exaggerated tone.

Lila nodded, "I haven't eaten in hours!" she said.

"Well then, let's go get you in the car!" Booth said, chasing her to the backseat door where her child seat was waiting.

Brennan wandered around to the other side of the door. It suddenly occurred to her that this may be just what Booth needed in the first place. There was no doubt that Booth was definitely in his element when being a father but he seemed to leave all of his insecurities and troubles at the door when a child was in his presence.

With everything that had been going on, the one thing that Brennan had never expected to help him feel better was adopting a child with him. In fact, when she asked him, she felt as though it might be more of an inconvenience than anything. With all of the secrets and betrayals, to have another child come into his life, another person to be worried for all the time seemed completely unnecessary, but it really did make him happy to have more love to share; and she knew that he loved Lila. It was such a simple statement too; there was no doubt anywhere in it, from about nine o'clock this morning it was evident that Booth loved the little girl just as much as he loved Parker and that love was astounding to any outside observer.

She had to admit to herself that she felt the same way. Lila was a perfect little girl and the idea that she may never have been able to experience something like this was unnerving. For so long she had denied that love of any kind was irrational, but she had come to realize that she was merely separating herself from the quintessential fruit of life. The ability to love is what makes life worth living; and as that thought crossed her mind she realized that she loved Booth. He was the person who made her driven to do the things that she once rationalized away. Without him she never would have thought to adopt Lila or even consider speaking to her father or brother ever again. He forced her to look at situations, interpersonal relationships and the feelings of others in a different light; including scrutinizing her own belief systems for clarity. He would do anything for her and she realized that she would do the same for him.

Booth closed the car door and turned to her, noticing the glazed look in her eyes, "Bones?" he asked.

She was shocked out of her thoughts by the sound of his voice, "Yeah?"

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

Brennan considered telling him what she had just discovered but opted for another time. She simply shook her head, "It's nothing." She smiled.

He smiled back at her and walked over to her, "You just let me know when it is." He said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek before heading over to the driver's side. Brennan smiled and opened her door and climbed in.

As Booth opened the door to the SUV, a man called his name, "Agent Booth?"

Booth turned to look at him and then ducked his head inside the car, "Bones, lock the doors." He said.

Brennan turned to look at the two men approaching the car, "Why?" she asked.

"Lock the doors." Was all he said, then closing his door and then walking towards the men.

Brennan did as he said and locked the doors in the car, "What is going on?" Lila asked from the backseat.

Brennan shook her head, "I'm not sure Lila. I'm pretty sure it's work related though." She lied. She didn't recognize the two men outside of the car, but she recognized the expression on Booth's face; anger.

Booth stepped towards the two men whom he could only describe as 'Men In Black', similar to the men who had taken Hodgins away after he made a benign bomb threat, "Identify yourselves." He said.

Both men reached for their belt buckles and took off their badges, "Secret Service." One of them said. Booth made a gesture for one of them to give him the badge. The two men chuckled, "You should be able to identify the badge as real, Agent Booth." He said.

Booth eyed the man warily, "I can. It's just not everyday that the Secret Service comes knockin' at my door. What do you want?" he said handing the badge back.

"You need to come with us."

Booth crossed his arms, "Why?"

"The president wants a word."

Booth scoffed, "The president of the United States wants to talk to me?" he asked.

"That's correct." The other man said.

Booth shifted on his feet and considered it and finally realized that he had no choice, "Fine. Give me a minute." He said. He walked back to the car and opened the door, "Uh… the president wants to see me." He said to Brennan.

"President of what?" she asked.

"The country."

Brennan's eyes widened, "Are you making a joke?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "Take Lila to lunch and if 3:30 rolls around before I get back, can you pick up Parker from School?"

Brennan nodded, climbing into the driver's seat, "Sure. What is this all about?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "I don't know, Bones." He shrugged, handing her the keys.

"Call me." She said, glancing at the men.

Booth nodded and kissed her quickly before securing the door closed. He walked back over to the Secret Service men and they led him away to their vehicle.

"Mr. Booth is friends with the president?" Lila asked from the backseat.

Brennan watched Booth walk away in the rearview mirror, "Let's hope so." She said.


	29. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 2:30 pm

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 2:30 pm; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

When Brennan and Lila arrived back at her apartment building, Brennan quickly paid one of the two men at the front desk in the lobby to take all of their bags and boxes out of her car and bring them up to her apartment. Normally she would have done it all on her own, but considering the fact that she was in charge of taking care of Lila now, she decided it would be best to not leave the little girl alone in her apartment for an extended period of time.

Lila, like any curious little girl slowly walked the apartment deciding on whether or not she liked it there as Brennan prepared an organic Jelly sandwich on a plastic plate and a cup of milk to go with it. When she came back out of the kitchen and set the sandwich and drink out on the table, she found Lila staring at a small picture on the end table near her couch. Brennan knew this picture well. It was one that Angela had taken when Booth and Parker visited the lab. Parker was wearing his small grey lab coat that matched her father's perfectly. Brennan had been holding Parker up on her hip and Angela couldn't pass up the opportunity to force them to pose with Booth and Max for a picture.

Lila turned her head towards Brennan and gently, but quickly placed the photo back in its place, with a look on her face as though she had done something that she shouldn't have.

Brennan smiled and walked over to the little girl, "It's okay to look at the picture Lila." She said, picking up the frame and showing it to her, "That's me and Booth." She said pointing them out, "And that's my dad, Max and Parker, Booth's son, whom you will be meeting later today."

Lila studied the picture for a moment and then looked up, "I'm hungry." She said, patting her stomach.

Brennan replaced the picture on the table and took Lila's hand in her own and led her to the kitchen table, "I made you a sandwich."

Lila looked at the sandwich sadly and then climbed up on the chair, "No broccoli's?"

Brennan laughed and sat down in the chair next to hers, "No, not right now. But for dinner, I promise I will make you broccoli, okay?" Lila nodded and then began eating the sandwich, and then there was a knock at the door.

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 2:30 pm; The Oval Office**

Booth looked at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time. He had been escorted to the White House half expecting for the whole thing to be a prank of some sort. After the initial shock and excitement of being taken to the White House to meet the president of the United States wore off, he became completely nervous and down right pissed that they had the audacity to search him for weapons and explosives; as if he knew that while shopping in Target with Bones and his newly adopted daughter, the President was going to request his presence in his private office.

He had tried to calmly sit and wait for the president to arrive, but opted instead to pace back and forth trying to think of some reason that he would be here. It all seemed unreal. The Oval Office looked almost exactly like it did in the movies. If he didn't know any better then he would think that he were actually on a movie set.

As soon as he could hear voices outside the door, Booth wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and straightened out his shirt. He looked down at the graphic on his shirt and rolled his eyes; of course the day that he meets the president he had to be completely caught off guard and dressed down wearing his Oregon Trail, 'You died of dysentery' t-shirt.

And then it happened. The door swung open and in a flash, the President of the United States, Thaddeus Edwards walked into the office and bee-lined it for the desk, not even looking up or acknowledging Booth in any way.

The president sat down behind the desk and buried his face in a file and cleared his throat. Booth didn't know what to do. Should he wait for him to notice his presence? Should he say something? Maybe he knew that he was there and just wanted to get this file out of the way before speaking to him. Or maybe that was the file containing all of the dirty little secrets of one Seeley Booth. Did they really keep files like that? Without any thought behind it, Booth cleared his throat and nearly jumped when the file flinched. Over top of the fresh manila file folder appeared two vibrant blue eyes. Booth smiled hesitantly and kept himself from raising his hand and waving.

Then, and arm appeared from behind the folder and hit a button on the phone. It beeped, "Yes, Mr. President?" A woman's voice called over the intercom.

"Celia, who is this man in my office?" he asked.

"It's your two o'clock, Special Agent Seeley Booth, Mr. President."

The folder dropped onto the desk and the president looked at his watch, "Two o'clock?" he asked in a surprised tone, "Hold my calls Celia." He said then disconnecting the intercom. He then stood up and walked around his desk, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Agent Booth." He said shrugging, "But I'm sure that you understand."

Booth smiled, "It's quite alright, sir. Running the country must be time consuming."

"Please, have a seat." The president said, gesturing to one of the plush couches and then taking a seat on the couch across from him, "Would you like something to drink?" he asked.

Booth shook his head, "To be honest, sir, I'm interested in why it is that you want to see me? It's not everyday that the President requests an audience with a regular guy and my girlfriend and I have just adopted a little girl, so I'm anxious to get back to them."

"That's wonderful, Agent Booth. How old?"

"She's six years old, Sir." Booth responded stiffly.

The president nodded, "She was in the foster care system. This country could use more people like you and your girlfriend; Temperance Brennan, if I'm not mistaken?" he asked.

Booth tilted his head to the side, "Um, yes. How did you know that?" he asked warily.

The president smiled, "I know a lot of things about you, Agent Booth. That's partially why I brought you here today."

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 2:43 pm; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Brennan stood from the table where Lila ate and went to the door. She looked through the peephole and found a young man standing outside the door. Curious, she opened the door, but left the chain on just in case; after all, she couldn't be so reckless anymore now that Lila was around, "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Doctor Brennan?" The young man asked.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Flower delivery." He smiled, holding up the bouquet of roses so that she could see.

Brennan furrowed her brow. She knew that they were most likely from the man who had been contacting Booth, but why would they be sent to her home? She sighed and reluctantly shut the door to remove the chain from the lock.

She opened the door again and extended her arm for the flowers, but the delivery man brushed past her and into her apartment without initiation, "Hey!" Brennan yelled.

But the man closed the door and locked it, tossing the flowers onto her coffee table and removing a device from his pocket and switching it on, "Where is the Sergeant?" he asked hastily.

"Sergeant?" she asked, "Are you the man who has been contacting him?"

"Where is Agent Booth?" he asked, more aggressively.

Brennan shook her head, "He's not here." She said, placing her body between his and the kitchen table, "You need to leave." She demanded.

The young man shook his head, "I have to talk to him. If you kick me out right now, you're practically signing my death warrant."

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 2:43 pm; The Oval Office**

Booth was becoming very uneasy about this whole conversation. The President seemed like an okay enough guy, but why was he here? He couldn't comprehend it. He hadn't done anything wrong, he hadn't received any requests from the military to rejoin active duty, he certainly didn't have any in demand skill set that may be useful to the president. Booth sucked in a breath, "Sir, am I here because you want me to get out my sniper rifle again? Because I really don't think that…" he started.

The president laughed and waved his hand in the air, "No. No. Nothing like that Agent Booth. Hey, but don't tempt me!" he said in a joking manner. Booth let out an uncomfortable chuckle and shifted in his seat. The president's laughter died down and he unbuttoned his suit jacket to be more comfortable, "I received a rather alarming phone call, though and I thought that I should talk to you in person about this situation as it has been a reoccurring problem. By any chance, Agent Booth, do you know a man by the name of Nathan Davidson?"

Booth thought about the answer before he gave it to the president, "No, sir. Should I have?" he asked.

The president shook his head, "No. I guess that you wouldn't have considering that the young boy likes to keep his anonymity." He shrugged, "He has been contacting certain people who have served in the military; making up stories and getting them worked up over nothing. Has he contacted you, Agent Booth?"

Booth nodded his head, "Yes, actually. I've received some vague messages and a couple of phone calls from him."

The president nodded and his face turned serious, "I can assure you Agent Booth, nothing that this man says has any credence. This man is a traitor to his country and is being pursued in accordance with the crimes that he has committed against his country. There is no validity to his claims what-so-ever. Do you understand me, Agent Booth?"

Booth cleared his throat and nodded, "Yes, sir. To be honest, I didn't think that anything he said was true." He lied.

The president smiled, "Glad to hear it." He said standing up, "Well, I have to get back to business." He smiled, "Agent Jones and Agent Andrews will take you home."

Booth gave him a tight smile and stood up, "Just out of curiosity, who told you that Nathan was contacting me?" he asked.

The president turned and smiled at him, "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Booth laughed and walked out of the room after saying goodbye to the president and was met by the two Agents who brought him in. They turned and walked him out of the building and Booth picked up his cell phone as they left and dialed Brennan's cell phone. It went straight to voicemail, so instead he tried her landline.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Bones, it's me. Why is your cell phone off?" he asked.

Brennan sighed, "It's not. Are you on your way back?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'll get the Secret Service guys to make a stop at Parker's school before bringing me to your place." He said, giving the Agents a wide smile when they turned and gave him an appraising look.

"Hurry though Booth. We have company." She said.

"Company? Could Angela really not wait to see her?" he asked.

"It's not Angela, Booth. Or anyone that we know personally. You just… you need to hurry here, okay?"

Booth wracked his brain trying to decode her words, "Uh, sure. Be there soon."

"Bye." She said before hanging up the phone.

Brennan hung up the phone and walked back out into the living room where she found Lila and the young man sitting together, coloring in her newly acquired Tinkerbelle coloring book. Still wary of the young man she motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen. The young man stood up and patted Lila on the head and told her he would be right back. Brennan walked into the kitchen and turned to face the young man, "What is your name?" she asked.

"Nathan Davidson." He answered, "I'm not going to hurt you ma'am or Lila either." He said.

"How do you know her name?" Brennan asked, immediately stiffening.

Nathan crinkled his nose, "Aside from the fact that she just introduced herself to me? I've been following you and Agent Booth for some time now, Doctor Brennan."

Brennan's eyes bugged out of her head, "You've been following us?" she exclaimed.

The boy closed his eyes and huffed, "I needed to know that you were trustworthy." He explained.

"Trustworthy?" Brennan scoffed, "Don't you think that's for him to decide?"

"Booth isn't the only one that's in this thing. There are others too, Doctor Brennan."

"WHAT THING?" Brennan yelled, then quickly poked her head around the corner to see Lila staring at the kitchen door, "Are you okay, Lila?" she asked softly. Lila hesitantly nodded and turned back to her drawing. Brennan turned back to Nathan, "You've been so God damned secretive that neither of us knows what it is that we're involved in. It could be something horrible or for all we know you could be upset about the trans-fat content in the MRE's."

Nathan laughed, "I can assure you that this has nothing to do with the MRE's, Doctor Brennan. I will tell you both everything, but not until the Sergeant returns. Please trust me."

Brennan exhaled and crossed her arms, "Turn around and put your hands on the counter." She ordered. Not willing to have another argument, Nathan did as she asked, "Spread your legs, please." She said, and then began frisking him to make sure he had no concealed weapons, "I'm not going to let you stay here armed with my child in the house." She said, pulling a four inch blade out of his shoe.

"I understand, but just so we're clear, the knife is for self defense." He said. He turned around and smiled at her.

Brennan held onto the knife and looked the young man up and down, "Well since you're here, you might as well do something useful." She said, walking over to the array of boxes that would soon make up Lila's bedroom furniture, "Second door on the left, start constructing the furniture. The old bed frame can be taken down to the trash and the mattress can be moved into my bedroom at the end of the hall."

Nathan smiled, "Yes ma'am." And then proceeded to take the boxes to the designated bedroom.

Brennan looked at the knife again once he disappeared into the guest bedroom. She wished that none of this was happening. It was really unfortunate that on the day that was meant to be spending time with her new adopted daughter that this boy would show up and put a major damper on it. She walked to her bookshelf and pulled her first novel down off of the shelf and stuck the knife between the pages, just in case he might go looking for it later on.

As she turned away from the shelf, Lila was standing right behind her looking up at her with her strikingly green eyes, "Why were you yelling?" she asked.

Brennan sighed and smiled. She picked up the young girl and positioned her on her hip and stroked her curly blonde hair, "I was frustrated, Lila. Do you understand?" she asked.

Lila nodded, "That's what Jenny said after she yelled at me."

"Jenny?" Brennan asked and then bit her tounge, realizing that Jenny was Jennifer Morris, their murder victim from mere days ago, "Oh, yes, Jenny."

"When is Mr. Booth coming home?" she asked.

Brennan smiled, "He'll be here soon, Lila, and he's bringing Parker with him. Would you like to meet Parker?"

Lila nodded her head vigorously, "I've always wanted a brother!" she said enthusiastically.


	30. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 3:35 pm

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**Disclaimer: I'm a patriotic American citizen. **

**Anything that is used in this story is purely fictional and the product of my imagination. **

**It's all created for a good story. That's all.**

**

* * *

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**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 3:35 pm; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Booth and Parker stood outside of Temperance's apartment. He was going to knock, but stopped himself and crouched down next to Parker, "Hey bub, do you remember what I told you the other day about Bones and I adopting a little girl?" he stated.

Parker's face lit with recognition, "Oh yeah. What about it?" he asked.

"Well, she's here today and you're going to meet her. Her mommy and daddy went to heaven and so me and Bones are going to be her new mommy and daddy. Do you understand?"

Parker nodded, "I understand."

"That's good, Parks." He paused, "You know I love you, right?"

"I know that, daddy." Parker said.

Booth smiled, "Okay, buddy. Let's go meet your new sister, okay?"

Parker nodded and Booth stood up and knocked on the door. Brennan opened the door and stepped back to let Booth and Parker in. Booth smiled and took Parker's book bag off of his back and dropped it on the floor near the door. Lila peaked her head out from behind Brennan's legs.

"Hey Lila." Booth said, pushing Parker forward a bit, "This is Parker."

"Hi." Parker said shyly.

"Hi." Lila responded just as shyly.

Parker looked at Booth and then back at Lila, "I have DS." He said.

"What's that?" Lila asked.

Parker's eyes bugged out of his head, "You don't know what DS is?" Lila shook her head and Parker grabbed her hand and pulled her toward his backpack, "It's so cool! Come on! I'll show you!" he said grabbing his back pack and dragged both the bag and Lila over to Brennan's couch.

Booth and Brennan both smiled and Booth stood up. He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek and she turned her head at the last minute and caught his lips and then jumped back with wide eyes. She took a breath and touched her hand to her mouth, "I forgot that we can do that now." She laughed.

Booth smiled, "Yup." He said and then pulled her in for another kiss, glad that Parker was to intent on teaching Lila DS to pay attention to 'gross kissing'.

After a moment, Brennan pushed herself away from him and placed her hands on his chest, "He's here." She said sadly.

Booth shook his head, "Who?"

Brennan gave him a sad smile, "The man who has been sending you cryptic notes."

"What!" he said letting go of her quickly, "Where is he?"

Brennan gestured towards the guest bedroom, "I made him set up Lila's furniture."

"Are you kidding me, Bones? You let him into your home with Lila here?" he whispered angrily.

"I frisked him, Booth. Besides, I could take him."

Booth rolled his eyes, "You are unbelievable!" he said storming into the bedroom.

Brennan rushed after him. As soon as he entered the bedroom he walked straight over to the young man and pinned him against the nearby wall, "What the hell." Was all he said.

"Please let me go." Nathan squeaked, fishing for air.

"Give me one good reason!" Booth seethed.

"I'll tell you everything." He said, grasping for air, "Please!" he begged.

Booth violently released his grip on the man and took a step back. Nathan rubbed the spot on his neck where Booth held him against the wall. He probably could have fought back, but he knew that Booth needed to feel in control in this situation. Nathan gestured to the stripped bed to them all to sit on. Brennan sat down and Booth looked at her before decided to sit as well. Nathan sat at the head of the bed and sighed before beginning his story, "When I was twenty years old, I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and join the army. He was proud but… definitely not happy about it. After boot camp and a tour in Iraq, a man came to my apartment in Jersey. He said that he knew my father and that I had come up on a list of potential candidates for a top secret black ops position because of the family connection, but I would never be able to tell anyone about it. He gave me his card and told me to think it over without any information as to what the assignment was. So, I called my dad and told him what happened and he drove down from Massachusetts overnight and showed up at my door the next morning. He made me repeat the story to him, asked about the man that came to see me and then left without another word.

"The next week I had gotten a phone call from an emergency room nurse who informed me that my father had commit suicide and that I would need to come up and claim the body seeing as how I was his only living relative. I was absolutely crushed but I managed to get myself up there in one piece and arrange a small funeral and I stayed in his house while I was there. I started going through his things to get the place cleaned out and ready to be sold again. In his desk there was an envelope addressed to me. I found it strange, ya know? There was no suicide not, but he had this letter that he had written me stuck between old tax returns in his desk.

"He told me, in the letter, that when he had joined the army he had been through two or three tours before a man came to him and told him that if he wanted to serve his country then he should consider joining this top secret black ops group which he could not divulge any information about. He joined because he wanted to serve his country and they told him, the one thing they did tell him, is that if he did this, he would most definitely come home safely to my ma and me. But when he joined the unit, he found something that he never ever expected to see." He said rubbing his face.

Booth was sitting still on the bed, unmoving and Brennan from time to time would shift closer to him on the mattress, afraid of where this story of Nathan's was actually leading them.

Nathan gulped and continued, "They were called the countrymen. Most high ranking officials in the government were apart of this group if they served in the armed forces. There are only a handful of people who know about this group aside from those who served in it, the president being one of them, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that's about it.

"It doesn't matter what service they are in, my father was army, another man Thaddeus Edwards was Navy, James McArthur was a navy seal, John Giomano was Marine, Larry Fisher a Ranger and Gerald Jones was Airforce. They were all assigned together in desert storm.

"Their mission was called the 'jingoist' mission. They all spoke Arabic fluently and they were all patriots of the country who whole heartedly believed in the cause and most importantly, they all knew how to shut up. Their mission was to restore patriotism in soldiers whose faith in the government and in their mission appeared to be weaning.

Booth let out a labored breath and stood up from the bed and began pacing back and forth. Brennan looked absolutely helpless. She never knew the full story of what happened to Booth during the war, only bits and pieces, but she could tell that Booth was connecting the dots and definitely didn't like where this was heading.

"They would receive information on a soldier, name , rank, serial number and assigned location, and then they would go out and retrieve that man from the field. They would drug him and move him back to their headquarters. He would be blindfolded and tied to a table or chair and would be tortured on a daily basis until the countrymen believed that he was ready to be released.

"The countrymen were only allowed to speak Arabic, so the captive men assumed that they were being held prisoner by terrorists and the methods of torture that they used only solidified that belief.

"His letter directed me to a box in his room. There was a chest that sat at the end of his bed that had his uniform and guns from the war stored inside. I picked the lock and inside there was all sorts of things. Pictures of men and their children, dried out flowers with names etched on the petals, single dog tags, pictures of headstones and a box of casts, your casts.

"I started doing some digging around and it turns out that this group has been active since Vietnam. After gathering this information, I couldn't bring myself to report for duty again. I never went back to my apartment, withdrew what little money I had from the bank and fled. I've been trying to contact all of the men who were victims of this heinous government cover up. One of the men whom I tried to help was a law enforcement officer and reported a sighting of me when I contacted him. He told the government that I was dangerous and spouting off conspiracy theories and that I was a potential threat to the country and that's how I became labeled a 'traitor'.

"The reason I contacted you, sergeant was because they lied to you. They told you that you were captured by terrorists and tortured for information but that isn't the case. You were in line as a potential candidate for this group only to end up being their victim. The fact is that you were tortured by my father, the president and the rest of their unit which consists of two senators the secretary of state and supreme court justice because after your partner Edward Parker was killed you began questioning orders. You became despondent and when the Army reported your reluctance they sent you to the countrymen to be dealt with. I just… I just thought that you should know. You have the right to know the truth." He concluded.

Booth continued pacing at a fevered pace and ran his hands through his hair, "So that's it? You just come here and tell me that my country betrayed me? What am I supposed to do about this? Say, 'Gee thanks! I'm glad to know what really happened! Wanna stay for dinner?' What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" he yelled.

Nathan stood up from the bed, "You're furious, I get it, but I'm not the one you should be angry with."

Booth stopped abruptly and faced him, "Oh yeah? Who should I be furious with then?" he yelled.

"How about your brother? How about the president?" he yelled back.

"What does my brother have to do with this? If he knows about this then he could only have just found out about it when he started his job at the Pentagon!"

Nathan shook his head, "No he didn't."

Booth scoffed, "What are you talking about?"

"When a soldier is accepted into the countrymen they are briefed on the history of the group. He's known for quite sometime that you were taken into custody by them."

Booth stared at the young man for a moment, "No…" he said and backed away.

Nathan nodded, "You're brother was one of them. It's how he got the job at the Pentagon in the first place. What Lieutenant Commander gets a job running the Pentagon? They don't. Didn't you wonder how he got that job? Think about it."

"My brother had known about this the whole time?" Booth said, more to himself than anyone else.

Brennan was still seated on the bed, turned towards the two men. She wanted to offer support; to help in some way but anything she said at this moment she knew would be a lie. One thing that he always had was faith in the country; knowing that he was on the side of right, but now there was nothing. Everything he once knew was destroyed and left in its place a hole.

Booth ran his hands through his hair again and sat down on the bed. Then he leaned his forearms down on his thighs and lastly, rested his head in his hands, "Get out." He said quietly.

Nathan nodded respectfully and started to leave the room before he turned and looked at Brennan, "I'll be sending over the research that I have sometime tonight."

Brennan nodded and watched Nathan leave. She turned back to Booth and sighed. She was scared. She didn't know how to comfort him. She feared that if she touched him he would push her away, feared that saying anything would cause him to turn his anger onto her. There were no good words, but luckily, she didn't have to decide. Booth turned to her and moved back on the bed and took her into his arms. They laid down on the bed together and Booth held her tightly.

This was the only thing that was real for him. He knew that Brennan loved him and he knew that he loved her. He opened his eyes to look at Brennan. Her eyes were closed and while she had looked tense with worry for him, she was peaceful in his arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Parker and Lila in the doorway. Booth waved them over and they scurried to the bed and climbed up on it. Brennan opened her eyes and smiled as the two children climbed in between them.

They all closed there eyes and laid together in the bed. Right before they all fell asleep, Lila picked up her head and whispered, "I definitely want you guys to be my new mommy and daddy."

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 7:00 pm; Nolita's Bar**

Angela sat at the Bar of the restaurant and sipped on a gin and tonic as she waited for Booth. She didn't think that he would actually agree to have dinner with her, but she figured that she deserved it after having conned her best friend into adopting what sounded like the cutest little girl in the world. Angela smiled thinking about the conversation that she had with Lila and her need for a school bag that would be able to accommodate her fairy wings. She had already made a few sketches, most of which looked like a woodland made messenger bag.

She looked at her watch again and turned to look at the door when Hodgins walked in, holding a bouquet of wild flowers. She inwardly groaned as he spotted her and smiled. It's not that she wasn't happy to see him, but things had already been strange enough with them at work, the last thing that she wanted was yet another awkward conversation.

He made his way over to the bar and placed the flowers down in front of her. She smiled and smelled them, "Hey, have you seen Booth? I'm supposed to be meeting him here."

Hodgins smiled, "Yeah, about that. Booth text me last night and told me that he wouldn't be able to make it. He also said to tell you that 'payback's a bitch'." Hodgins shrugged.

"Oh! That little twerp! He never planned on coming!" Angela said.

Hodgins smiled, "Well, he actually kind of did me a favor."

Angela sighed, "Well do you want to get a table or something?"

Hodgins motioned for the bartender to give Angela another drink and turned back to her, "I didn't come to eat, Ange."

"Listen, Jack. I'm really…" she started.

He put a hand up for her to stop, "You don't have to do that. I'm not here to beg for you to take me back. I'm not going to apologize for what happened either. I just need to tell you something.

"Our relationship was amazing. It really was and it was probably the best thing I've ever had in my life. You ground me like no one else can, Angie. I realized after we broke up that I became a different person when I was with you. You changed me in that sneaky way that you tend to change everyone who gets to know you." He laughed.

"That's why I need to tell you; I have to let you know, that I will always love you. And I don't mean that in the mutual break up kind of way, like saying we'll always be friends. I mean that I'm still in love with you and I know, for a fact that I always will be in love with you.

"So, if in a year, or five years, or when we're both ninety years old, if you decide that you want me back, I'll be waiting for you. I'll always be waiting for you, Angie. You're my soul mate and my one true love and you always have a place with me." With that, Hodgins stood up from his bar stool and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

Angela was speechless. She watched him as he placed a twenty dollar bill on the bar for her drink and turned and left the bar. She gasped, her mind was blank. She couldn't form a coherent thought, as if anyone could form a coherent thought after something like that. She stiffly turned back to the bar and took a sip of her drink and she knew that he was the one.


	31. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 7:00 pm

****

So sorry about the major delay. This week has been really rough. My great uncle died, my computer crashed and while all of that was going on, I of course had to work so... let's just say that I've been a little pre-occupied.

Okay, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. Tomorrow, aside from a few errands I have to run, I should be posting a few chapter tomorrow. Let's cross our fingers, knock on wood and pray to the heavens that I don't come down with writers block!! haha

* * *

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 7:00 pm; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

After their group nap, Brennan called Sarah Stever from DCS and had the paperwork for Lila's legal adoption filed and sent to the review board immediately. Sarah knew that Lila was going to love staying with the partners, even though she knew better than to make assumptions about people, but Brennan and Booth were constantly in the press for all of their good work in the Metro DC area, so when Brennan had phoned informing her that Lila decided that she would enjoy living with them, she wasn't surprised in the least.

After hanging up with Sarah, Brennan and Booth cooked dinner together while Lila and Parker played in the living room. The meal consisted of broccoli, much to Lila's delight, Tofu, much to Booth and Parkers dislike, corn and asparagus. After eating, Lila followed Parker into the kitchen with her plate and utensils while Booth and Brennan remained seated at the table.

Booth quickly leaned over to her and whispered, "Would you mind if I left for a little while?" he asked.

Brennan looked at him with confusion, "I guess that would be okay." She shrugged, "Where are you going?"

Booth looked over at the envelope on the counter that had arrived shortly before dinner. It's contents was all of the hard copy proof that he needed to know that what Nathan had said was true. There was nothing that stated specifically what the countrymen were; enough was left out so that if anyone had obtained the information they wouldn't know exactly what it was and there was enough there for him to know that it was indeed suspicious to say the least. He looked back over at Brennan and released a breath, "I need to speak to someone."

Brennan nodded just as Lila and Parker reentered the room. She smiled at them both, "So, do you guys want to watch a movie before bed?" she asked.

"PRINCESSES!" Lila exclaimed happily, jumping up and down.

Parker winced at her and looked to his father for help. Booth laughed and shook his head, "Parks, what was that movie that your mom picked up at Blockbuster the other day?" he asked.

Parker smiled, "Wall-E."

Lila stopped jumping and looked at her brother, "Wallie?" she asked.

Parker smiled, "Wall-E." he said, emulating the character in the movie.

Booth laughed and Brennan and Lila both squinted at the both of them, "I don't understand." Brennan said.

Parker ran over to his book bag and pulled the movie out, "It's so good, Bones! You'll love it. Promise!" he said excitedly.

Brennan looked at Lila who was leaning up against her chair and tilting her head to the side, "What do you think?" she asked.

Lila shrugged, "I don't think that there are any princesses in that movie." She said warily.

Brennan laughed and looked at Booth before running her fingers through the little girl's hair, "How about we watch Parker's movie today, and then tomorrow, you can pick out any of your new movies to watch, okay?" she asked.

Lila sighed dramatically, "Oh-kay."

"Great!" Booth said standing up from his seat at the table and collecting his and Bones' dishes.

Brennan stood from her seat as well and lifted Lila up into her arms and took the DVD case out of Parker's hands and left to go down the hall. Parker stayed back and watched his father move back and forth from the kitchen to the table, collecting all dirty dishes.

Parker walked through the threshold of the kitchen and leaned against the counter as Booth began tossing left-overs either into the garbage or into a Tupperware container depending on the amount left, "What's up, bub?" Booth said finally after waiting to see if his son was going to speak first.

Parker looked down at his shoes and kicked the tiles in front of him aimlessly, "You're different." Was all he said.

Booth immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to his son, "What do you mean?" he asked, placing his hands on Parker's shoulders and lifting him up onto the counter.

Parker shifted slightly to get comfortable on the counter, "Girls." Parker smiled.

Booth smiled and laughed, "Oh. You're not used to being around girls when you're with me."

Parker nodded, "I know you always said that we need to be nice around girls, but are they always going to be around now?" Parker asked wide-eyed.

Booth winced. He knew that Parker was going to need some time to adjust to having an adoptive sister, but he didn't know what specifically was going to be the issue first. This was not what he thought would happen. He immediately assumed that Parker would be threatened by there being another child in the house, but that didn't seem to be an issue at all. Apparently Parker was a much stronger child than he had given him credit for. If being around girls all the time was the worst Parker was going to complain about then it was a relief more than anything, "Why?" Booth asked, "Do you not like Lila and Bones being around all the time?"

Parker's eyes shot to his father and he shook his head, "No. I love Bones and Lila is nice. It's just, when it was just you and me… it was fun." Parker shrugged.

Booth smiled and kissed his son on the forehead, "Well we're still going to have fun Parker! It's just Bones and Lila are going to be with us too." He explained. Seeing as how this didn't seem to cheer him up, he proposed a new idea, "How about this Parker. Once a month, you and I will have one day where it's just you and me and we can do anything that you want to do. Would that be okay?" he asked.

Parker smiled widely, "Anything?"

Booth tilted his head back and forth before responding, "Within reason."

"Okay." Parker said smiling.

"Great! Now," Booth said picking his son up and planting him on the floor, "Go help Bones work the DVD player. I'm sure she's about to karate chop the thing about now." Parker laughed and left the kitchen.

When Booth finished washing all of the dishes, he made his way to the bedroom to check up on everyone. When he opened the bedroom door, he found the two kids enthralled in the movie and Brennan leaning against the headboard smiling at their amusement. Booth waved to get her attention and she looked up at him. He made a gesture that signaled that he was going out and she nodded and waved.

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 7:40 pm: On route to Jared Booth's Apartment**

Booth was pissed off and the drive to his brother's apartment wasn't helping matters any. The more he thought about what his brother hid from him the angrier he became. After all of the things he had saved his little brother from and all the times that he had had his back, Jared had to betray him like this?

As he pulled up infront of Jared's apartment building he turned off the ignition and thought about what this would mean for them. Surely he would never be able to forgive his brother for keeping this from him. What would he have done if the roles were reversed, though? Nathan had said that they had considered requesting him to join the countrymen and if he was right, he knew that he probably would have accepted the offer. Then again, he was a different man then than he was now. The promise of coming home safely wouldn't have meant much to him. During the months after Teddy was killed in action and when he had been taken in by the group, he was more interested in death than life.

There was nothing for him to come home to. There was no girl waiting for him, he had no son at the time and his parents could have cared less seeing as his mother had left when he was a boy and his father did nothing but berate every action and choice that he had made. He knew that Jared would have been fine as well because if he couldn't look out for his partner in the heat of battle, how could he have protected Jared? More than anything, he hated himself for Teddy's death and believed that it was his fault. So in reality, he probably would have declined the offer anyways.

Concerning the torture; if it had been Jared who was taken in instead of him, he would have told him. No part of national security would have stopped him; but he was more of a family man than Jared was and he always looked out for his brother's interests and the fact that that feeling of protection was not reciprocated by his own flesh and blood was infuriating.

Booth got out of the car and slammed the door shut and made his way to the small stairwell and climbed up to the third story where he found his brother's apartment and knocked on the door.

The door opened and Jared stood in the doorway and smiled, "Hey, come to check out the new apartment bro?" he asked.

Booth didn't smile but simply stepped inside passed his brother and looked around the living room. It was tiny and very badly maintained. He heard the door shut and turned to his brother.

"So, did you find me a job or something?" he asked, "I haven't heard from you." He said crossing his arms.

"No." Booth said, "And I'm not going to."

Jared looked at his brother and shifted his stance, becoming more defensive, "What? What the hell, Seeley. I thought you were going to help me out!"

Booth laughed wryly, "Oh, like you helped me out?"

Jared shook his head, "What are you talking about?"

"Were you ever going to tell me? Or were you just going to let me live the rest of my life completely oblivious of the truth?"

Jared chuckled nervously and made his way into the kitchen and grabbed two beers of the refrigerator and handed one to his brother. Booth kept his arms crossed and eyed the beer warily, "If you actually believe that I know what you're talking about, then you're sadly mistaken." He said taking a swig of his beer.

"I didn't know that you spoke Arabic, Jar. When were you going to let me know?" he asked.

Jared froze and Booth saw it. Cooley, he took another swig of beer and rolled his eyes, "I don't speak Arabic, dude. I can barely speak English, you think that I could learn a whole 'nother language?"

"Quite playing dumb, Jared. I know you better than that."

Jared shrugged, "I'm not playing dumb, Seel."

"What is more important to you, Jared, me or your special ops buddies?" he asked.

"Go fuck yourself, Seeley."

Booth raised his arms in the air, "Well I guess I just got my answer." He said.

"Not everything is always about you, ya know." Jared argued.

Booth looked at his younger brother wide eyed, "I think that in this case, it is about me!"

Jared shook his head, "You're getting angry over something that doesn't even exist!"

"I have proof Jared!" Booth yelled.

Jared laughed sarcastically, "What kind of proof exactly?"

"Enough to know that you're a jackass."

Jared shook his head violently, "Then you've got nothing on them!" he shouted.

Booth stopped, realizing that his brother inadvertently admitted that they exist. Without another thought, Booth swung his arm around and struck his brother in the face. Jared fell to the floor with a loud groan and held his jaw tenderly, "This is how you repay me, Jar?" Booth said in a calm and whispered voice, "After everything that I've done for you?" he said kicking his brother in the stomach, "I saved you from ever having to take any hits from our father and this is how you thank me?" He said, throwing in an extra slug for good measure, "Don't ever come near me or my family." He said, before spitting on him and walking to the door.

"You don't have any family." Jared said spitting up some blood and still curled in a ball on the floor.

Booth opened the front door to the apartment and turned back to his brother, "Oh, you're government buddies didn't tell you?" he asked, "Bones and I are together now. We adopted a little girl together. And I envy her, because she won't know that you ever existed." He said before walking out the door and slamming it shut behind him.

Jared rolled over onto his back and wiped the spit off of his face with the cuff of his flannel shirt. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number and held the phone to his ear, "Hey. Yeah, listen. Remember what I called you about earlier; yeah, well, we have a major problem." He said looking at the door from which his brother just exited.


	32. Wednesday 20th, 2009: 10:02 pm

**Wednesday 20****th****, 2009: 10:02 pm: The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Booth walked into the apartment shaking out his wrist and tossing his coat on the couch. It was dark in the apartment. Brennan was probably already in bed, he thought as he felt his way down the hallway. Before reaching her bedroom, he looked into Lila's room and found her and Parker asleep on the bare mattress covered by a large quilt. Nathan had only put together part of the canopy which was laid out on the floor.

Booth smiled as Parker wiped his nose and wriggled into a more comfortable position. He closed the door and made his way down the hall to Brennan's bedroom and cracked open the door, expecting to see her asleep as well. He wasn't really surprised to find her sitting up against the headboard reading a very thick novel. Booth tilted his head to the side and stepped through the door, "You mean to tell me that you're actually reading someone else's work of fiction?" he asked.

Brennan looked up from the page that she was on and smiled at him, "Angela suggested the book to me." She said holding up the book to display the cover, "Stephen King's The Shining." She said.

Booth shook his head, "You know there is a movie, right?" he asked.

Brennan quirked her head to the side, "They did?"

Booth nodded and shucked off his shirt, "Yeah, two in fact, although I prefer the original. So what do you think so far?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "I'm confused as to whether the hotel is supposedly haunted, which is impossible or it's just man is just delusional, which ventures into the realm of psychology which I don't enjoy, but I'm reading it because Angela is forcing me."

Booth laughed and kicked off his shoes, "It's not about why, Bones. It's about the thrill. That's why they call the genre, 'thriller'. Besides, I heard that King based the book on an actual haunted hotel that he stayed in." he said dropping his pants and climbing into bed next to her.

Brennan rolled her eyes and placed her bookmark in and rolled over onto her side and looped her arm across his torso, "So? Is he still alive?" she asked softly.

Booth breathed out, "Unfortunately."

Brennan placed a quick kiss on his shoulder and they both drifted off to sleep.

**Thursday 21****st****, 2009: 6:02 am: The Home of Rebecca Stinson**

Booth pulled up in front of Rebecca's house and shut off the engine. He turned and looked in the backseat at his still peacefully asleep son. He looked so calm in the morning and he couldn't bear to wake him up. He was still clad in his superman pajamas and now pleasantly dueling on his left shoulder. Booth smiled and turned around and unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out. He closed the door and was immediately overcome with a bad feeling.

He walked around the car to the other side and automatically locked the doors of the car and stepped up onto the sidewalk. Everything was perfect. Not the kind of perfect that a family neighborhood should be; an eerie perfection that settled uneasily in his stomach. It was quite on the street. There was no one around, no noise, not even from the birds and the feeling that overtook him when he stepped up onto the curb and looked at the house where his son lived made his heart pump wildly in his chest. He looked back at the car to make sure Parker was okay and walked slowly up the path to the door.

Instinctually, he took his handkerchief out of his pocket and opened the screen door, which lazily swung and rested on his back as he opened the main door to the house. It clicked open without hesitation. That was unlike Rebecca; to leave the door unlocked at this time in the morning. He inwardly groaned and pushed the door open to reveal the body of Rebecca Stinson sprawled out on the floor in front of him. Her eyes wide; she looked as though she were merely relaxing except for the obvious bullet wound in the center of her forehead and the burn mark around the wound that was obviously from a silencer.

Booth shut the door and ran to the car and hopped in the drivers seat. He turned to check on Parker who was still sound asleep in his car seat. He turned on the engine and pounded on the gas. It was obvious that this was meant for him. It was a message and a strong one at that. Someone was out to get him, just like Nathan had said.

He arrived back at Brennan's apartment somehow. He didn't remember actually driving there once the car was put into park. He got out and walked around the vehicle to make sure that he hadn't hit anything on the way and then took Parker out of his car seat and shut the door.

Parker's eyes drifted open and he observed his surroundings, "Are you taking me home, daddy?" he asked groggily.

"No, change of plans, bud." He said, running up the stairs and into the lobby of her building.

Parker rubbed his eyes furiously and then Booth punched the up button on the elevator, "Why are you so angry?"

Booth looked at his son but couldn't bring himself to tell him just yet. He painfully ignored his son's question and rode the elevator up to Brennan's floor. Realizing that his father wasn't going to answer his question, he rested his head on his father's shoulder and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck and squeezed. Booth merely turned his head and kissed his son on the forehead and walked down the hall to the familiar door at the end of the hall.

Brennan was in the kitchen brewing some coffee when Booth walked in the door. Seeing Parker still perched on his hip, but now awake, Brennan left the kitchen and met the halfway down the hall.

Booth shook his head, deflecting her unasked question and moved down the hall to the guest bedroom. Seeing Lila sprawled out on the queen sized mattress to herself snoring lightly would have made Booth laugh but unfortunately was not enough to lift his spirits.

He placed Parker down on the bed and his son looked up at him, "What about school?" he asked.

"No one is going to school today, Parks." He said.

Not willing to question his father twice, he shrugged and smiled and curled up on the bed once again and fell back asleep. Booth covered both Lila and Parker up, once again with the large quilt and left the room and met Brennan in the kitchen.

"What happened?" Brennan asked immediately, "Did she let you take him for another night?" she asked excitedly.

Booth shook his head and closed his eyes. He leaned against the counter and put his head in his hands, "Rebecca's dead." He said softly, nearly gagging on the sob that was stuck in his throat.

Brennan's eyes went wide and she slowly placed the coffee cup that she had been holding onto the counter, "What?" she said disbelievingly, "How?"

Booth wiped off his face furiously and looked at her, "Executed, Bones. She was killed because of me." He stated.

Brennan shook her head, "Booth there is no way to know that."

"It was a hit, Bones. She was displayed so that I would find her. She wasn't seeing anyone. The only person who would have gone to her house at all this week is me and Parker."

"Oh my God." Brennan said covering her mouth, "Did Parker…" she started.

Booth shook his head, "He was still asleep in the truck. He has no idea…" his voice became raspy, "no idea that his… mommy is dead." He finished, by this time having completely broken down. No longer having the strength to hold himself up, he slid down the cabinets and sat on the ground, covering his face with his hands.

Brennan immediately was at his side, sitting next to him and sharing in his sorrow with a fresh batch of tears of her own to contribute. They sat together for twenty minutes not saying a word; simply clinging together and mourning their own loss as well as the extremely detrimental loss of Parker's mother.

When their tears had subsided, Brennan leaned her head onto his shoulder, "What are we going to do now?"


	33. Monday 25th, 2009: 10:23 am

**Monday 25****th****, 2009: 10:23 am: The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

Temperance Brennan was seated at her desk, calmly working through the file on Jane Doe 100-43-005. Angela stood, leaning up against the frame of the door watching her silently. She had been standing there for over five minutes now, waiting for her friend to look up or even acknowledge that she was there, but she came up empty handed. Brennan was intentionally ignoring her.

She huffed and walked into her office, letting the glass door slide shut behind her and took a seat in front of the Anthropologist's desk, "What is going on?" she asked.

Brennan refused to meet her eyes, "Nothing." She answered shortly.

Angela shook her head in disbelief, "Don't give me that crap Brennan!" she nearly yelled, "Tell me what is going on, now!"

Brennan's eyes shot up and glared at the artist, "I don't know, Angela." She said calmly, but with an edge to her voice which was only made more intense by the tears welling in her eyes.

Angela brought her hands angrily to her head and then ran her fingers through her hair, "Rebecca is dead, Booth is suspected of her murder and now he is missing and so it Parker. Do you know where he is?"

"I don't." Brennan said.

Angela scoffed, "Sweetie. You know that you can tell me anything!" she pleaded.

Before Brennan could respond, there was a knock on her door. Both women looked up and found two men standing at the door. Brennan waved them in and they stepped inside, "Doctor Brennan?" One of them asked.

Brennan nodded her head and stood from her chair, "Yes?"

The other flashed a badge, "Agent Farnsworth, Agent Monroe, FBI. You need to come with us."

Brennan nodded and shrugged off her lab coat. Angela immediately stood and crossed her arms defensively, "What is this about?" she asked.

Brennan grabbed her purse and turned to Angela, "Don't worry, Ange. I'll be back in an hour or two." She walked passed the Agents and turned at the door, "Well are you coming, Agents? Or are you just going to ogle my colleague all day?" The Agents turned uncomfortably and reluctantly followed her out of the building.

They arrived at the Hoover building and the two Agents led Brennan to an interrogation room very similar to the one that Booth and Brennan spent many and hour interrogating murder suspects. It was on a different floor of the Hoover building and the room was a little smaller than the one that they normally used, but still held the same ominous characteristics that all FBI interrogation rooms held.

She waited alone in the small room for over thirty minutes before the door clicked open and Sweets walked in, wearing a small apologetic smile, "Hey Doctor Brennan." He said in a small voice.

Brennan sighed and leaned forward on the table, "They sent you to interrogate me?" she asked.

Sweets shrugged, "I hope you know that I don't want to do this. They're using me as a means to gain your trust in hopes that you will reveal information."

Brennan shrugged, "Well, it's a useless task. I honestly don't know anything. You know that I'm very trustworthy and when I tell you that I know nothing, I genuinely know nothing."

Sweets smiled his first genuine smile and sat down across from her. He looked over at the one way mirror and then back at her, "Can you tell me anything about what was going on before Rebecca was killed?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "We had formed a sexual relationship and Booth and I were planning on adopting Lila together."

"Was Booth angry about something relating to Parker? Did he and Rebecca have a falling out?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "Booth was always upset about the amount of time that he and Parker had together, but if that were a motive for murder, Rebecca would have been dead a long time ago. Don't you think, Doctor Sweets?

"So what you're saying is that Agent Booth had no motive to murder Rebecca Stinson?" he asked.

"That…" she started, and then looked directly at the mirror to finish her sentence in a loud voice, "is EXACTLY what I'm saying."

Sweets chuckled at her forwardness, "Where was Agent Booth at around six a.m.?" he asked.

Brennan nodded, "He was dropping Parker off at Rebecca's."

"Do you think it is possible that Agent Booth may have killed Rebecca at that time?" he asked.

"Absolutely not." She said, "First, Booth would never bring his son with him if her were planning on killing his mother. Secondly, the autopsy reports were tampered with. Rebecca died at approximately two a.m. that morning, not six a.m. Booth has an alibi. Three in fact."

Sweets tilted his head to the side, "How do you know that the file was tampered with?" she asked.

"The Medical Examiner is a good friend of mine. I have the original report in my office." She smiled.

Sweets smiled, "To your knowledge, does Agent Booth own or have access to a silencer?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "Absolutely not."

"Do you know where Agent Booth is at this current time?"

"No, I don't." she said.

Sweets shook his head, "I just don't understand, Doctor Brennan." He said, tossing down the file that he had been reading off of. She looked down and saw the list of questions that he was given to ask her, "Agent Booth is a good man. You and I both know that he didn't do this. Why doesn't he just come forward so that we can all clear his name?"

"Because someone framed him and there is no way that he won't be charged and convicted of this crime."

Sweets shook his head and sighed, "Thank you for your time." He said, standing up and exiting the room.

Next, one of the agents who brought her in barged into the room, "Where is he?" he demanded, "You may be able to play the shrink like a violin, but not me." He said standing over her for intimidation.

Brennan shrugged, "I don't know where he is." She answered honestly.

"You mean to tell me that the man that you love and his son up and left you without letting you know even at least how to contact him?" he asked.

Brennan shook her head, "No, he didn't."

"Can't seem like all that great of a guy; up and leaving you while you were in the middle of adopting a child together."

Brennan smiled, "I don't need him to adopt a child. I'm sufficient enough to take care of Lila by myself."

"Why are you still covering for him if he left you?" the agent asked, walking around the room, trying to intimidate her.

"I'm not covering for him." She answered simply, "I don't know anything. I really don't enjoy repeating myself. Booth and I were simply friends who carried out a sexual relationship for a short period of time."

The agent sat down across from her and clasped his hands together, "That's not what everyone that you work with has told us about your relationship with Agent Booth." The agent said, with a snicker, as though he had had her cornered.

Brennan returned a smile, "For the past five years of our partnership, all of my co-workers and as far as I know, all of Booth's co-workers believed that we were in love with each other. It's not really surprising that once we did commence a sexual relationship that they would believe that we had admitted some sort of overly romantic dedication to each other."

The Agent leaned back in his chair, "Doctor Brennan, would you submit to a polygraph?" he asked.

Brennan smiled wider, "Of course."

**Monday 25****th****, 2009: 1:30 pm: The Office of Special Agent Seeley Booth**

After having taken the polygraph and passing with flying colors, Brennan stepped foot inside Booth's office with two boxes in hand. The lights were off and she could help but notice that his office smelled like him. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes wishing that it had never come to this. She turned and looked at the agents from Booth's division standing mournfully behind the glass. She could see in their eyes the sadness and anger at the way Booth was being treated. They were the men who worked beside Booth everyday; they knew that he was not capable of such a heinous act. Either way, Booth was now a wanted man; for both kidnapping and murder.

Brennan placed the boxes down on his desk and collected the pictures that littered his desk and bookshelves, placing them inside. The bobble head that he had received from Scotland Yard when they were in England, the Hockey poster from behind his desk and his accommodations of Service from the FBI.

She opened up his bottom right hand drawer in his desk and found the box of medals that he received in the army. Debating whether or not to take them, she finally placed them in the box. A half empty bottle of scotch was shoved towards the back of the drawer. This was the bottle that they had both drank out of after a case one night. She placed it inside the box and then picked up a handful of tiny cartoon figurines that he no doubt played with in his off days.

The last thing that she packed inside the box was a picture of her and Parker from the day at the amusement park. She remembered the moment well. She was standing next to one of the animal exhibits with Parker perched on her hip. She couldn't deny that she looked quite nice in the picture; and what was most surprising about it was how comfortable she looked with Parker in her arms. She sighed and placed the picture in the box.

All of his personal affects fit inside one box. She had brought two, believing that having spent the last four years in that office he might have had more personal things that he'd forgotten about or brought in. Unfortunately, she thought to herself, despite his anger towards the military, he lived as though he were still a sniper in the war.

She picked up the one box and headed towards the door. By the time that she got there, Charlie was opening it for her and placing a coffee mug inside.

Brennan looked at him curiously, "That isn't his." She said.

Charlie smiled and looked at it, "Of course it's his." He said, lifting it up and revealing the inscription 'World's best FBI Agent'.

Brennan smiled, "Thanks Charlie." She smiled. As she began heading down the path to the elevator she was stopped by Cullen who wore a grim expression on his face, "Can I help you?" she asked.

Cullen studied her for a moment, "I don't know what happened, Doctor Brennan. But if you ever see him again, let him know that it was an honor to work with him. That's from everyone here." He said.

Brennan nodded, "I'll let him know." She said, "If I see him."

Cullen nodded, "Will you at least continue your work with the FBI?" he asked.

Brennan smiled, "Actually, I've hired Clark Edison. I will be leaving the Jeffersonian in two months after the adoption is finalized."

"Leaving?" he asked, "Booth always said that the Jeffersonian was… your house of reason." He said.

Brennan smiled, "Yes, well. I've changed in the past few months and I think that I'm looking for something a little more… home-y."

Cullen smiled and nodded, "Well, it was a pleasure working with you as well, Doctor Brennan."

Brennan nodded, "You as well. I wish you and your wife all of the best."

"You too." He said, nodding and quickly taking his leave.

She began again to walked towards the elevators, and when she arrived, she found Sweets leaning up against the wall next to the elevator doors, "Doctor Brennan." He said.

She smiled genuinely, "Sweets."

"Allow me to help you take this to your car?" he asked, gesturing to the box.

Tossing her pride out the window, she gratefully handed over the box, "That would be nice." She said, stepping into the elevator with the young doctor.

They stayed silent until they reached the parking garage. Brennan reached her car and popped the trunk, "When I leave, I will keep in touch." She said.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged and watched Sweets close the trunk, "I'm not quite sure yet. But I have time to figure that out I suppose."

"Are you going to find him?" he asked.

Brennan remained silent and looked away. Sweets smiled, "Please do keep in touch, Doctor Brennan. I've always admired you." He said, holding out his hand to her.

Brennan looked at his hand and by-passed it, instead, hugging him tightly, "You're good at what you do, Sweets. Regardless of how much Booth and I made fun of you."

Sweets hugged her back, "Thanks."

Brennan smiled and pulled away, "Maybe, once I get settled, you and the squints could come and visit."

"I'd like that very much, Doctor Brennan."

With that Brennan got into her car and left.

Sweets dug his hands in his pockets and felt a wave of sadness come over him. He realized that this chapter of his life was now over, and he wasn't sure that he liked the new one that was coming.


	34. June 17th, 2009 10:15 am

**THIS IS THE END!!!!!**

**Enjoy it! **

**PAY ATTENTION TO THE DATES**

* * *

**June 17****th****, 2009; 10:15 am; The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Lila and Brennan were cooking a late morning breakfast together. Brennan had recently turned in her resignation to the Jeffersonian and was enjoying some free time with her now officially adopted daughter. She hadn't heard from Booth or Parker in more than a month, but was managing as a mother just fine by herself.

In the past month, many changes had occurred. She had sold all of Booth's less personal belongings, excluding clothing and pictures which she kept in a large suit case in her hall closet. The lease on his apartment had run out and she had taken in his security deposit as she was listed as his next of kin. Angela and Hodgins were officially back together and maintaining a strong emotional connection in place of their once passionate physical relationship which they claimed they would begin again in a few months time.

Since it was too late for Lila to have started in first grade, Brennan had begun home-schooling her in her free time, and she found that Lila had an above average IQ which made teaching her all that much more fulfilling. Although she didn't know exactly where they would be journeying to in the following months, she seemed completely content with being a stay at home mother with Lila and knew that travel would be something that both she and the young girl would enjoy very much.

She had started on a new book as well; once ridden with tons of conspiracy and intrigue that she knew her publisher would love. She informed the publishers that she would be leaving the country and that she would be making submissions via email in the future due to her absence from the country. That was one thing that she loved very much about leaving; she would no longer have to go to book signings. At this point, she was famous enough in the literary world that she would no longer have to make appearances if she didn't want to; phone interviews were enough.

She watched as Lila shoved the spatula under the pancake and held it precariously in the air before haphazardly flipping it onto it's backside. The little girl laughed excitedly and looked up at her new mother. Brennan had never felt so fulfilled. This is what she had been missing from her life, she realized. Only now, she was missing something, or someone that she had had all along before this wonderful little girl came into her life.

If she were honest with herself, she missed Booth terribly. All she wanted nowadays was for him to wrap his arms around her and tell her that they were okay and everything was okay. It would have been even better if they could have remained partners at the FBI, but the government made that impossible for them.

She had seen Jared once at the bar, drowning himself in alcohol and ignoring everyone else. He hadn't even noticed her when she walked in, as his stare was fixated on the Saint Christopher necklace that he held in his hands; and if not there, the bottom of his glass. Although a slight pang of sadness had hit her when observing the Booth in turmoil, she couldn't bring herself to empathize with him after thinking about her Booth and how he must feel being the one who was actually betrayed.

As she helped Lila transfer her pancake from the pan to a plate, the doorbell rang. She handed the plate to Lila and then went to the door. She opened it up to find a delivery person on the other side. He handed her the digital notepad which she signed and then he handed over an envelope.

On the outside were numerous stamps from numerous countries but no return address. She closed the door and opened the envelope and found a picture inside. There was no note. The picture was of crystal blue waters and white sand. There was something off in the distance that she could just barely see. She went to the drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass and held it to the picture.

"Lila!" Brennan called from the kitchen. She moved into the living room where her daughter was happily munching away on her pancake, "We're leaving before the end of the week."

**June 19****th****, 2009; 8:55 am: Offices of the D.C. Metro News**

Veronica Vicks walked to her office as though she were on a mission. To be truthful, all of the stories that she had been working on were going belly up and she felt stifled by her boss and his sexist attitude. After trying to get the story on the DC Strangler and failing he had pretty much dismissed her for any real stories. Now she was working on some column articles, obituaries and whimsy pieces when needed.

She walked into her office and tossed her bag down on the floor before throwing herself into her seat behind her desk. Her assistant soon followed behind her with an armful of mail and seven post-it notes stuck to her arms, "Ms. Vicks, your mother called, and she wants you to call her back, The Veterinarians who are running the humaine society benefit said that they would love it if you would attend…" she rattled on.

"I can read them Jane." She said beckoning the post-it notes from her.

The young woman nodded her head vigorously and handed them over, "Here's your mail." She said, handing over the stack and exiting the office.

Veronica stuck the post-its to her computer screen and began organizing her mail; separating the junk from the necessities. When she came upon a certified letter without a return address, she furrowed her brow. A slight wave of panic set over her as she thought about the possibility that it could contain anthrax or something but then she calmed, realizing that everyone's mail in the building was thoroughly scanned. She grabbed her letter opener and slid it between the edges of paper until it sliced cleanly through. Inside, she found a packet of papers with a note attached to the top, simply saying;

_Veronica- _

_You wanted a story? You've got it. _

_Best of luck. _

–_Seeley Booth_

Veronica gasped at the name at the bottom of the note. It had been months since she had spoken to him that day in Target. Now, he was a wanted criminal; and he was contacting her. She pulled the note off of the packet of papers and began reading through them. The heading on the first page took her breath away; these were official documents from the Pentagon.

This was going to make her career.

**May 21****st****, 2009: 7:15 am: The Apartment of Doctor Temperance Brennan**

Booth and Brennan sat on the floor of the kitchen with tear stained eyes. After a moment of silence, Brennan wiped her eyes, "What are we going to do now?" she asked.

Booth sniffed and wiped off his own face. The past few weeks had been hard enough already and the image of Rebecca's body laid out on the floor of her home; his son's home was etched in his mind. He shook his head, "Bones…" he said, looking up at her, "They're going to pin this on me." He said.

Brennan looked at him perplexed, "What?" she said disbelievingly.

"I'm going to be their prime suspect."

Brennan shook her head, "No. No they won't; they can't."

"They can and they will, Bones. Look at Nathan." He said.

"He isn't being charged with murder." She said.

"No, but that's probably because he didn't have anyone left in his life. His father had died, he had just gotten back from a tour. He didn't have any friends or family. But me? Rebecca was the least painful of all of the potentially painful deaths I would have to deal with. If they had chosen you… or Lila? Parker?" he said, the tears flooding his eyes once more, "They alienated Nathan, but they're going to crucify me, Bones."

"But you didn't do anything wrong!" she said.

Booth turned to her fully, "It doesn't matter if I did anything wrong, Bones. I told Jared that I had proof that the countrymen existed. They're covering their bases. If they convict me of Rebecca's murder, I'll be put in jail… or a mental institution and no one will listen to me. That is, if they don't get the opportunity to shoot me first. Killing Rebecca was a warning, Bones."

Brennan shook her head, "But you didn't kill her Booth. The evidence will prove that. I'll exam the body myself!"

Booth smiled, "Thank you for having such faith in my Bones, but there is no way that they are going to let you anywhere near her body."

"I'll demand to exam the remains, then, Booth. I'm not letting you go to prison for something that you didn't do." She said crossing her arms.

"I… I think I have to turn myself in." he said.

Brennan stood from her place on the floor and looked at him with fire in her eyes, "You will do absolutely no such thing." She demanded.

Booth stood up and shrugged, "What else am I supposed to do, Bones?" he asked, "I mean, I didn't kill her, but she is dead because of me."

Brennan shook her head, infuriated with his self deprecation, "Are you insane?" she asked, "Honestly, I can't believe that you're actually contemplating turning yourself in for a crime that you didn't commit!"

"Bones…" he tried to explain.

"No!" She whispered angrily, realizing that the children were still asleep, "I am not going to raise Parker and Lila by myself while you sit in a prison cell. I will not allow you to turn into my father!"

Booth froze with his eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about her father the criminal. She knew what it was like to grow up without her parents, granted at least Parker would know where his father was, but the last thing he wanted was for Parker to see him in jail.

Parker was always so proud of his father; taking bad men off of the street. Parker had always wanted to be just like his father and perhaps if Booth did turn himself in, Parker would loose all faith in him, especially when it was the murder of his own mother that put him there.

Another thought that occurred to him now was that he would be locked away with many of the same men that he put there. Some of whom would be all too happy to finally meet him again. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be dead within the first year he was in prison.

Booth walked away from her, running his hands through his hair before turning back to her suddenly, "Tell me what to do, Bones."

Brennan took in a large breath of air before crossing her arms, "If you stay you'll be arrested. The only option you have is running." She shrugged.

"Where?" he asked.

Brennan shrugged, "I don't know, Booth. But you have to go."

Booth pursed his lips together and put his hands on his hips, "Are you… I have to ask this, Bones. Are you trying to push me away?"

"What?" she asked, obviously offended.

Booth put his hands up defensively in front of him, "I'm not trying to be an ass, Bones, but you have the tendency to push people away when you get… scared."

"Are you insinuating that I'm telling you to run because I have a fear of commitment?" she asked.

Booth tilted his head to the side, "Well, yeah, kinda."

"You're a moron." She said shaking her head.

"It's not really that stupid of a question, Bones." He shrugged.

"Not your question! You! Sure, I've let guys go in the past, but the relationship I have with you; I've been committed to you for the last four and a half years of my life."

"I'm sorry, Bones. I had to ask." He said regretfully.

She put her hand up in the air and turned away from him and exhaled, "So what are you going to do?" she asked, turning back towards him.

"I have to go. Don't I?" he asked.

"I don't understand why you're jumping to the conclusion that they're going to blame this on you. How do you know that they even killed her?"

"Would you rather wait until they arrest me and it's too late?" he asked.

Brennan sighed, "You're right." She said, "I'll stay here and wait for Lila's adoption to come through."

Booth nodded, "In a few days you'll have to call Sarah and get rid of my half of the adoption. They won't approve the adoption if I'm a fugitive." He shrugged, "Sell all of my things too; my lease is up at the end of next month anyways."

"Where are you going to go?" she asked.

Booth shook his head, "I don't know, Bones. I wouldn't tell you now anyway." He said honestly.

"Why not?"

"You hate lying. I don't want you to have to lie." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I would lie for you, Booth." She said, taking a step closer to him.

"I know that." He said, "But you know that it would be better if you genuinely don't know. They might polygraph you or sic someone like Sweets on you to watch for body language."

She nodded, "What will happen to us?" she asked, holding herself more tightly.

Booth wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, "When I get settled somewhere, I'll call for you."

"They'll be watching me, Booth." She said burying her face into his chest.

"I'll send you a message in a way you'll understand, Bones." He said kissing the top of her head lovingly.

She lifted her head up off of his chest and looked him in the eyes. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and ran his fingers down her jaw line. He leaned down and captured her lips with his own and she responded instantly to him. As their kiss became more intense; more passionate, Brennan felt the moisture on her cheeks grow heavier and heavier. Soon it became hard for her to respond to him as her bottom lip was quivering so intensely.

He cupped her face with both hands and pulled back slightly to see her crying, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Her breath hitched and she bit her lip before realizing that she couldn't stop her tears from coming. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled him closer before admitting, "I don't want you to leave." In a tear sodden and whispered voice. She buried her face into his chest again, gating the fact that he was seeing her at suck a week moment.

Without thought, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to her bedroom and laid her down in the center of the bed, "I don't want to leave you either." He said crawling into bed next to her, "I'm going to miss you so much."

Brennan rolled onto her side and brought her hand up to his face and softly stroked his cheek, "I love you." She said sniffling.

His eyes widened, "You do?" he whispered hopefully.

She nodded and pulled him towards her and kissed him, pulling his entire body weight on top of her. She began furiously pulling off his shirt and then stopped suddenly and looked at him, "Promise me that you'll contact me."

"Of course I will Bones." He said reassuringly.

"Promise me." She demanded, her eyes drilling into his own.

"I promise." He said earnestly, "You know I do."

Brennan smiled a small smile before continuing her task. He leaned up and took his shirt off for her and then helped her off with her own before leaning back over her and kissing his way down her neck.

Brennan wrapped her legs around his torso and pulled him down off of his knees and on top of her. With a thud, his lower half crashed into hers and caused her to take a quick intake of air at the electric shock that surged through her body.

Although time was what they both wanted to take in this particular scenario, they knew that Booth needed to leave and Parker and Lila would most likely be waking up again soon. Booth expertly unsnapped her bra hooks from behind her back and drew the frilly coral garment down her arms while her delicate fingers unhooked his signature belt buckle and pulled it from its comfortable place around his waist. She quickly unbuttoned the top button of his jeans and ran her hands around his back before plunging them into the back of his pants. She could feel his arousal pressing into her thigh, which made her involuntarily made her own hips undulate into his own.

Never being one to be beat, Booth moved past the constraints of her pants, shoving his hand down inside before feeling her slick folds ready and waiting for him. He closed his eyes, feeling his hunger for her only increase at the unexpected feeling of her lack of undergarments. He took her earlobe into her mouth as he plunged a finger inside of her core. A loud moan escaped from her lips as she writhed beneath him; her hands gripping his firm ass pleasurably. Her hands moved up his bare back and pulled his face closer to her, inadvertently towards her bare breast which he happily sucked between his teeth and nibbled upon.

She bucked her hips up into him, demanding more of him, but he refused. The constriction of her jeans was making it difficult for him to move inside of her. He unbuttoned her jeans with his free hand and pulled them down as her hips lifted towards him in ecstasy. He pulled himself from her gropping hands and removed his probing finger from her to pull off her jeans. She reached for him wantonly as he tossed her jeans aimlessly away from them. When he returned his eyes to her, he paused, looking at the flushed and lustful woman beneath him. She was gorgeous and he wanted to devour her. He wanted to turn her into a quivering mess with his manly prowess; a thought which normally would have made him laugh, but right now was more of a turn on than anything.

He stood up off the bed, her quizzical eyes following his movements. He closed the door to the bedroom and locked it, then moved to the curtains and pulled them closed, blocking out most of the light in the room. Brennan felt like prey more than ever in this moment. He was circling around her, waiting to pounce at just the right moment. She wanted him now; he was making her overheat more and more by the minute and if he wasn't going to do anything about it, she would take care of the situation on her own. She touched herself as she watched him remove his pants and reveal his firm and throbbing arousal to her. Her feet dragged the length of the mattress in anticipation of him inside her.

He was leaving her. She didn't want him to; she wanted him to stay or at least to take her with him, but there was too much that needed to be taken care of. When he reached the end of her bed, he leaned over and crawled onto the mattress, kissing his way up her body; first her foot, ankle, then her calf, the inside of her knees. He licked her right thigh just to her apex before suddenly taking her clit into his mouth and sucking it between his teeth. Brennan lifted off of the bed at the inexplicable pleasure that his mouth was inflicting upon her. He lapped up her juices in her mouth in one long and torturous stroke and then focused his oral attentions on her sensitive nub again, then pushed three fingers into her again. Her fingers racked through his hair roughly as her head slammed back into her mattress involuntarily, "Booth!" she cried in a ragged and whispered breath.

She moaned before her body began trembling under his ministrations, her hands fumbling and pawing at his shoulders. Before her orgasm had even begun to complete itself, he pulled her towards him, lifting her up and sheathing himself inside of her. He held her to his chest and she bit down on his shoulder, holding back the scream that was clawing its way up the back of her throat.

"I love you so much." He groaned, and then began moving slowly inside of her. Brennan lay helplessly against his chest, still throbbing and twitching from her orgasm as he began working on her next one. She was feeling such pleasure that she knew instantly how much she was going to miss him when he was gone. Booth was always the man that brought her happiness and love. There was never a time that she could remember where his presence brought anything but that. She gripped onto his shoulders and rested her forehead against his own. Their sweat was co-mingling against their skin and her eyes were tearing as they stared into his. She kissed his mouth, then his cheek and his neck before whispering to him almost as a secret, "Oh god, Booth. I love you." Her voice was soft but strained against the tears that had formed in her eyes, realizing that she might not see him for a very long time.

Hearing the strain in her voice, he brushed the sweaty hair off of the base of her neck and held her impossibly closer to him. He began pistoning up into her relentlessly. If he had to leave her he wanted her to know how much he wanted her and needed her. There was almost no way to describe that in words, he just prayed that she might feel it; feel what he felt when they made love.

Her head fell backwards as her core began pulsating yet again. She moaned loudly and he began pumping into her recklessly until the constriction around his penis became too much to bare and he released inside of her. She screamed as he fell forward on top of her as the last of his orgasm spilled from his body.

He rolled off of her for a moment before looking over at her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily and still writhing slightly, "You okay?" he whispered.

After a long silence she spoke without opening her eyes, "If you don't contact me in the next two months, I will hunt you down." She said.

Booth smiled, "Why's that?" he asked.

"No sane woman would let a man give her the most intense orgasm of her life then let him get away." She said looking over at him and smiling.

He watched her for a moment before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close to him, "I love you too much to let you stay away for long Bones." He said seriously.

She wiped the beads of sweat away from his forehead, "I know." She said, before curling up next to him and falling asleep.

When she awoke two hours later, he was gone from her bed. She took a shower and dressed and went out left the bedroom dressed her in jeans that she had been wearing earlier and Booth's FBI sweatshirt that smelled like him. She found Lila sitting in the living room with an empty cereal bowl in front of her watching a fairy princess movie with rapt attention.

She sat down next to the little girl and pulled her into her lap. Lila rested her head on Brennan's chest, "New Daddy said he was leaving." She said.

"Yup." Brennan said, running her blonde locks through her fingers.

"Is he and Parker going forever?" she asked.

"No sweetheart. You'll see them both soon." She said, then kissed the top of her head.

Lila shifted on Brennan's lap to get more comfortable and continued watching the movie in silence.

**July 12****th****, 2009; 10:15 am: The Jeffersonian Medico Legal Lab**

"According to Veronica Vicks, former reporter of D.C. Metro News, the controversial mail that she received from known fugitive and former FBI Agent Seeley Booth; showed proof of a government conspiracy group known as 'The Countrymen'. The group has been allegedly active since the Vietnam War and uses common torture methods common in the middle east to convince our American soldiers that they have been abducted by these terrorist groups in order to boost moral amongst soldiers whose patriotism has begun to waver.

"So far, three senators, two presiding judges, a former Pentagon employee, Jared Booth; the brother of the man who exposed the scandal, have all been taken into custody. There is no word as to whether there a more high ranking officials are involved, but the FBI is confident that they will be able to find and arrest all members of the group with the information that was given to them."

"The most appalling of all information that has been revealed is that our President, Thaddeus Edwards has been linked to this group as well, and is now awaiting trial for impeachement."

Everyone was in Angela's office; Cam, Clark, Sweets, Hodgins, Wendell and even Daisy, with their eyes glued to the television. Angela knew little about what had been going on with Booth and now she found herself at a loss. Hodgins sat next to her, holding her hand firmly and watching as Cullen stepped out of a black S.U.V. on the television screen in front of the FBI building and pulled Jared Booth out of the back of his car in handcuffs.

Hodgins shook his head disappointedly, "Jackass."

"He's not Booth-lite." Angela said, "He's not even near the man that Booth is." She said under her breath.

Cam shook her head in disgust, "This makes me sick."

"Has anyone heard from Brennan?" Sweets asked.

Hodgins and Angela both shook their heads, "She'll call." Angela said, "I know she will."

Hodgins thought for a moment, "They're together, Ange." He said.

"What?" she asked.

"You don't think the timing of her resigning and his disappearance was at all… odd." He said.

Angela shrugged, "She said she didn't know anything, Jack. I just assumed that she resigned because she didn't want to work without him."

Hodgins laughed, "Those two could barely stay away from each other in the past four years, working or not. You really think that Booth didn't at least, eventually tell her where he and Parker were?" he asked.

Angela looked over at Sweets who was staring off into space pondering Hodgins opinions as well, "Oh my god."

Hodgins laughed, "They're all together somewhere with false identities living in luxury off of her book money." He laughed.

Angela smiled, "Good for them." She said, "And if they're someone tropical and beautiful, they damn well better call so I can visit."

**November 18****th****, 2009; 9:25 pm: A Villa on the Beach in Greece**

"So, what do you think?" he asked as she flipped the last page closed.

She placed the manuscript down on the nightstand next to her and scooted down into the bed and leaned her head on his chest, "I have to say that I'm surprised at you literary skill, Seeley. I had no idea that you were such a descriptive and skilled writer."

Booth smiled and ran his hands through his hair, "Why thank you."

She kissed his shoulder gently and ran her hand across his tanned chest, "I'll send it to my publisher if you like."

"Really?" he asked, "You don't have to do that, Bones."

"She would like it very much, Booth. A first hand account of what happened to us? You have first hand knowledge of everything that happened. Publishers would kill to get your side of the story and I can say with complete honesty that I can probably persuade her to pay top dollar for it since I already have a rapport with her."

"You really think it's that good?" he asked.

Brennan nodded earnestly, "You know that I wouldn't lie to you. If I believed it was terrible I would have told you so. Although, there are a few typos." She said, "But that's common."

"Hm." He hummed and turned to face her, "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer." He said, running his fingers down her arm to her stomach which was protruding from her nightgown.

She smiled lovingly at him before her face changed dramatically, "How do you do that?" she asked picking up the hem of her nightgown and placing her hand on her stomach.

"Do what?" he asked.

"She always kicks when you touch my stomach. It's like she knows it's you." She smiled.

Booth smiled, "She's a daddy's girl." He shrugged.

Brennan laughed, "I know that it's terrible to say this, but I'm glad things turned out the way that they did." She said looking down at her stomach.

Booth smiled, "We are living in a beautiful country with two happy kids and another one on the way, Bones. There is nothing terrible about that."

"I know." She sighed, "I mean, had we never found out the truth about your past, we might not be in this situation right now, Booth. We might still be 'just partners' and living in DC…"

"No." Booth said shaking his head, "The only difference is that we would be in DC rather than Greece, Bones. There is no way I wouldn't be in your pants by now." He smiled.

Brennan slapped him on the arm, "I heard that the president is being impeached."

Booth nodded, "Good."

"Maybe…" Brennan paused, "Do you think we can let them know where we are now?" she asked.

"Who? Angela and all them?" he asked. She nodded and he thought it over, "I think it's safe now."

Brennan smiled, "Good. I want Christina to know her Aunt."

Booth smiled and closed his eyes, "I hate to admit it, but I miss them too." He smiled.

Brennan kissed him on the lips and closed her eyes, "Goodnight."

"I love you." He said softly.

"Love you too."

THE END.


End file.
